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Near the Federal Reserve Bank in New York: Experts had expected an inflation rate of 8.1 percent
Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP
High inflation continues to have the USA under control – the inflation rate is only slowly declining.
In September, the inflation rate for goods and services fell to 8.2 percent from 8.3 percent in August, according to the Washington Department of Labor.
Experts had expected an inflation rate of 8.1 percent.
The new inflation rate marks the third decline in a row, but the inflation rate is still four times higher than the Fed's target.
After the new figures were announced, share prices fell worldwide, the leading German index lost 1.09 percentage points and thus slipped into the red.
The US dollar, on the other hand, appreciated.
Investors fear that the Fed could hit the economy with too aggressive a course.
The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates for months to fight inflation.
In September, the Fed raised the key interest rate unusually sharply by three-quarters of a percentage point for the third time in a row.
Meanwhile, the situation on the US labor market clouded over again slightly in the past week.
The number of initial jobless claims rose by 9,000 to 228,000, the Labor Department said.
It is the second increase in a row.
Analysts had expected an average of 225,000 applications.
Despite the increase, the level of aid requests remains low in a longer-term comparison.
The initial jobless claims are considered a short-term indicator of the development of the American labor market.
Despite the economic downturn, many companies are complaining about a shortage of workers.
ani/Reuters/dpa
