US consumer prices up 0.5% in July, up 5.4% past 12 months

WASHINGTON: US prices jumped again in July, but at a slower pace than in the prior month, according to government data released Wednesday, as some impacts of the pandemic shutdowns appeared to dissipate.

The consumer price index rose 0.5 percent last month, seasonally adjusted, after a 0.9 percent surge in June, the Labor Department said.

Energy prices remained a key driver of inflation, jumping 1.6 percent, while food prices rose 0.7 percent, the report said.

But when volatile food and energy goods are left out of the calculation, the core CPI rose just 0.3 percent, seasonally adjusted.

Over the latest 12 months consumer inflation increased 5.4 percent, unadjusted -- the same rate as in the prior month, but the core rate slowed to 4.3 percent.

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Energy prices collapsed when the Covid-19 restrictions forced business and transport to largely shut down, but as widespread vaccinations allowed the economy to begin to return to normal gasoline prices have surged, rising 41.8 percent compared to July 2020, the report said.

The reopening also led to other disruptions, including rental car companies rushing to restore their fleets to meet demand from traveling Americans, which drove used car prices to double digit increases in recent months. But they edged up just 0.2 percent compared to June.