US inflation rises to 1.8% in June

US inflation rises to 1.8% in June
Published: 16 July 2013
Annual US consumer price inflation hit 1.8% in June as clothing, petrol and services costs all increased.

That was up from the 1.4% figure recorded in May but still below the target inflation figure of 2%.

The consumer price index increased by 0.5% in June from the month before.

The US economy is growing more strongly than most of Europe, but unemployment has put downward pressure on wages, making it harder for retailers and other firms to raise prices.

Most of the month-on-month price increase was attributed to the rising cost of petrol.

'Comforting'
Taking out energy and food, core consumer prices increased by 0.2% between May and June, giving an increase over 12 months of 1.6%, the slowest pace in two years.

"It's comforting to see some stabilisation in core services prices," said Laura Rosner, economist at BNP Paribas in New York, adding that "we expect personal consumption to remain weak".

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and most of his colleagues view the current low inflation rate as temporary.

In June, the Fed said it planned to keep the short-term interest rate at a record low close to zero until the jobless rate falls below 6.5% - provided inflation remained under control.

It also said it would continue purchasing $85bn in mortgage and Treasury bonds each month, with the aim of lowering long-term interest rates to encourage more borrowing and spending.

The programme has been keenly watched by the financial markets, and when Mr Bernanke last week reiterated that there would be no immediate exit from the stimulus measures, it sent stocks higher.
- BBC
Tags: Inflation,

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