The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the May 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI) showing that the Headline CPI rose 4.2% year-on-year in May, up from 3.8% in April.
However, the report indicated that on a month-on-month basis, the CPI increased 0.5%, slightly slower than the 0.6% recorded in April.
The Bureau attributed the rise mainly to surging energy costs, which accounted for over 60 per cent of the monthly all-items increase.
A further analysis of the CPI figures showed that the energy index rose 3.9% month-on-month in May, following a 3.8% increase in April, while gasoline prices increased 7.0% over the month.
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Also, Shelter also rose 0.3%, while food prices increased 0.2%. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2% month-on-month in May, compared with 0.4% in April.
On a year-on-year basis, core CPI increased 2.9%, slightly higher than the 2.8% recorded in the preceding month.
