US September 2026 Inflation Exceeds Expectations and Gold Prices Fall
Markets experienced activity as consumer inflation in the US rose above projected levels in September.
According to September 2026 data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, annual headline inflation rose to 3.7%, bringing sharp declines in gold prices and foreign exchange markets.
September Inflation Data
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the consumer inflation data for the September 2026 period. Accordingly, the CPI recorded a monthly increase of 0.6% in September.
In August, the monthly increase was 0.4%. Annual inflation climbed from 3.4% to 3.7%.
Impact of Energy Prices
Energy prices continued to play a decisive role in the inflation rise in September. Gasoline prices rose by 9.1% on a monthly basis.
While this increase accounted for more than half of the total rise in monthly CPI, overall energy prices increased by 5.2% in September.
Rise in Core Inflation
Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, increased by 0.3% monthly in September, remaining at the same level as August.
Annual core inflation rose from 2.4% to 2.6%, exceeding market expectations.
Housing and Food Items
The housing index showed a monthly increase of 0.4% in September. In August, this rate was at 0.3%.
While food prices showed no change on a monthly basis, food consumed at home prices declined by 0.1%, and the annual food increase was 2.5%.
Decline in Gold Prices
Starting the day at $4,162 per ounce, gold dropped to as low as $4,114 following the data, experiencing a loss of approximately $48.
Gram gold dropped to the level of 6,479 TRY in international markets, while the data put pressure on the Fed's policies.
Activity in Foreign Exchange Market
Sharp movements began to be seen in the foreign exchange market following the US inflation data.
Starting the day at the 1.166 level, the Euro/dollar parity fell to the 1.114 level after the release of the data.