Inflation Sits at 8.2% as Core Prices Hit Four-Decade High

U.S. consumer inflation excluding energy and food accelerated to a new four-decade high in September as prices continued to surge, a sign that persistent cost increases are becoming entrenched in the economy. From a report: The Labor Department on Thursday said that the so-called core measure of the consumer price index -- which excludes volatile energy and food prices -- gained 6.6% in September from a year earlier [PDF], up from 6.3% in August. That marked the biggest increase since August 198