An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve accelerated last month, showing that prices remain elevated less than a week before midterm elections in which the uncomfortably high cost of living for millions of Americans has become a central issue.
Consumer prices rose 3.6% in September from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.4% in August. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.5%, up from 0.3% in August and the highest figure since May.
