Consumer prices rose faster than paychecks in September. Prices climbed 0.6% from August while average hourly pay rose 0.1%, so the purchasing power of an hour of work fell 0.5%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Oct. 14 in its Consumer Price Index and Real Earnings releases for September.
U.S. retail and food services sales rose 0.8% in September, but most of the increase came from gasoline stations. Excluding gas stations, sales rose just 0.2%, according to the Census Bureau's advance estimate released Oct. 15.
