WASHINGTON — Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that prices rose 0.4% from August to September, the same as the previous month. And compared with 12 months earlier, inflation was unchanged at 3.4%. Taken as a whole, the figures the government issued Friday show a still-surprisingly resilient consumer, willing to spend briskly enough to power the economy even in the face of persistent inflation and high interest rates.
In Friday’s report on inflation, the government also said that consumer spending last month jumped a robust 0.7%. Spending on services jumped, Friday’s report said, led by greater outlays for international travel, housing and utilities. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices rose 0.3% from August to September, above the 0.1% uptick the previous month. Compared with a year earlier, though, core inflation eased to 3.7%, the slowest rise since May 2021 and down from 3.8% in August.