English /// 06/15/08
WASHINGTON -- The inflation rate shot up in May
at the fastest pace in six months, pushed higher by soaring costs for gasoline
and other types of energy.
The
Labor Department reported Friday that consumer prices rose by 0.6 percent last
month, the biggest one-month increase since last November, as gasoline costs
surged by 5.7 percent. Food prices, which have also been rising sharply, were
up 0.3 percent as the cost of beef and bakery products showed big gains.
Core
inflation, however, which excludes energy and food, edged up a more moderate
0.2 percent in May. That increase was right in line with expectations and
should help relieve worries that the big increases in food and energy could be
breaking through to more widespread inflation.
Ian
Shepherdson, chief US
economist at High Frequency Economics, said that the moderate gain in core
prices showed price pressures are remaining contained despite fears at the
Federal Reserve.
The
Fed, which from September through April was aggressively cutting interest rates
to fight a mounting economic slowdown, is now indicating that its biggest
concern has changed from the threat of a recession to worries about inflation.
In
a speech Monday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the Fed will
"strongly resist an erosion of longer-term inflation expectations."
Those comments have raised expectations that the Fed's next move later this
year will be to start raising interest rates.
The
0.6 percent rise in overall prices was slightly higher than the 0.5 percent
gain that economists had been expecting while the 0.2 percent rise in core
prices matched expectations.
So
far this year, consumer prices are rising at an annual rate of 4 percent,
compared with a 4.1 percent increase for all of 2007.
Energy
prices are rising at a 16.5 percent annual rate, compared with a gain of 17.4
percent for all of 2007, while food prices are rising at a 6.3 percent annual
rate, up from a 4.9 percent increase for all of last year.
Analysts
said the pressure in both the energy and food areas is likely to continue as
global food shortages and rising demand push food prices up and energy costs
continue to soar, reflecting a relentless surge in crude oil prices.
The
energy increases have pushed the nationwide average for gasoline up to a record
of $4.06 and private economists believe that price will keep climbing through
the summer driving season.
The
combination of rising inflation and weak wage gains contributed to another drop
in weekly earnings. After adjusting for inflation, weekly earnings for
nonsupervisory workers were down 1.2 percent in May, compared to a year ago,
the Labor Department said in a separate report.
Energy
prices were up 4.4 percent in May after being unchanged in April. The increase
was led by a 5.7 percent jump in gasoline, the biggest one-month increase since
last November, and gains of 0.9 percent for electricity, 10.4 percent for home
heating oil and 5.6 percent for natural gas.
The
0.3 percent rise in food costs reflected a 1.5 percent jump in beef costs, the
biggest rise in 13 months, and another steep increase in cereal and bakery
products, which were up 1.6 percent.
Outside
of food and energy, clothing costs fell by 0.3 percent and the cost of
pre scri ption drugs dropped by 0.7 percent, but airline tickets jumped 3.2
percent, the biggest gain in more than six years, reflecting the surge in fuel
costs.
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