The consumer price index rose 0.2% in April, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
The inflation gauge followed a 0.3% in March. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.1%.
Food prices rose 0.9%, the most in 18 years, the Associated Press reported.
Economists had forecast a 0.3% gain in the CPI, while core costs were projected to rise 0.2%, Bloomberg reported. Ìý The CPI is the government’s broadest gauge of costs for goods and services. Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services.
If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.
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