Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday painted a grim picture for American consumers and is predicted to shape how the Federal Reserve rules on interest rates next week. Although August saw more jobs added than expected, that is likewise expected to result in a rate hike. The annual inflation rate was 3.4% last month, unchanged from July, but not as bad as it was in May at 4.2%. That’s translated into higher fuel and grocery costs for consumers, such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, which increased slightly, from 0.1% to 0.3%.
Not surprisingly, lettuce prices continued to trend in the other direction, likely from the cyclospora “explosive diarrhea” outbreak, though the Food and Drug Administration declared an end to the problem Friday, after nearly 13,000 people across 21 states were sickened by the parasite, at least 570 people were hospitalized, and two died.
