September CPI Release Oct. 14: What August Showed
Published October 5, 2026, 04:36 UTC
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish the September consumer price index on Wednesday, October 14, at 8:30 a.m. ET, which is 12:30 UTC, according to its release schedule. It is the last CPI reading before the Fed's October 28 decision. Here is where inflation stood in the previous report.
August in numbers
According to the BLS August release, headline CPI rose 0.4% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis, after 0.1% in July. Over 12 months it rose 3.4%, the same as in July.
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% on the month after 0.2% in July. On a yearly basis, core eased to 2.4% from 2.5%.
Energy did much of the work
BLS said the gasoline index rose 3.9% in August, "accounting for over one third of the monthly all items increase." Energy rose 2.1% on the month and 16.3% over the year, with gasoline up 27.4% and fuel oil up 52.0% over 12 months.
Other notable moves: airline fares rose 2.7% in August and 23.4% over the year. Communication rose 2.3% on the month. Shelter rose 0.3%, food 0.1%, and food at home was flat. Motor vehicle insurance fell 0.8% and medical care fell 0.2%.
NBC News reported that core came in hotter than economists expected. It also reported that oil prices rose after mid-August, with US crude near $100 a barrel on September 11, so energy may keep pressuring the September figure. That is a reported market condition, not a forecast of the print.
Why it matters for rates and crypto
The Fed raised its target range to 3.75% to 4% on September 16, citing elevated inflation (see our Fed piece). Since then, weak September jobs data pushed CME FedWatch odds toward a hold in October, Fox Business reported. A hot September CPI could revive hike bets. A soft one could reinforce a pause.
Decrypt named the October 14 CPI report and the October 28 Fed meeting as the next tests for bitcoin.
What to watch on Oct. 14
Watch the monthly core reading, the gasoline contribution and shelter. Those three drove the August debate. Figures are released at 12:30 UTC, and markets often move within minutes.
This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Schedule of Releases for the Consumer Price Index, accessed Oct. 5, 2026
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, August 2026 (Sept. 11, 2026)
- NBC News, Inflation ticked up in August (Sept. 11, 2026)
- Fox Business, September jobs report (Oct. 2, 2026)
- Decrypt, 'Uptober' Starts Green as Bitcoin ETFs Draw $134 Million (Oct. 4, 2026)
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