Consumer Prices Experience Largest Gain In Three Years As Food Prices Rise

For the first time in more than three years, U.S. consumer prices experienced their biggest increase. The Labor Department said its Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped 0.4 percent in April after a 0.1 percent increase in March. That’s the largest gain it has seen since February 2013.

According to a Reuters article featured on Fox Business, there were also increases in both medical care and food prices, which are left out of the core CPI. Medical care costs jumped 0.3 percent in April, building on a 0.1 percent increase in March. Food prices also rose 0.2 percent last month, bouncing back from falling by the same amount in March.

This latest CPI is a good sign for businesses—the increases suggest that the American economy is growing and picking up speed in the second quarter. However, there are still concerns that the labor market isn’t its healthiest considering last month's slowdown in payrolls gains and a recent increase in applications for unemployment benefits.

Either way, these increases are likely going to be welcomed by the Fed and its efforts to raise interest rates. But because growth has been slow so far this year, financial markets still don’t expect the Fed to raise interest rates before September.