CPI Up Slightly

The consumer price index, or CPI, rose 0.1 percent in September following a 0.2 percent drop in August, according to the Labor Department. Economists had been expecting the CPI to remain unchanged. Excluding food and energy, the core CPI also advanced 0.1 percent after being flat August. Energy fell 0.7 percent, following a drop of 2.6 percent in August. Gasoline also dropped, declining 1.0 percent, following a 4.1 percent drop in August. Food rose 0.3 percent after posting a 0.2 percent gain in August. Stocks had little reaction to the news, with S&P futures trading around the unchanged level.