Inflation Surged 9.1% in June, Even More Than Expected

The consumer price index for June is worse than expected—and what was expected was bad. The CPI was up 9.1% year-over-year in June, above economists' prediction of 8.8%. Even that estimate was worse than May's 8.6%. The last time inflation was this high was in November 1981, reports MarketWatch. The so-called core CPI, which takes volatile food and energy prices out of the equation, was up 5.9%, slightly higher than the 5.7% estimate. The AP observes the reports "likely seal[s] the case for another large interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, with higher borrowing costs to follow." Dow futures were down 300 points on the news.

"A higher inflation rate ... will put more pressure on the Fed to increase the interest rate more than expected, and that increases the possibility that the US is going to enter a recession," University of Cincinnati economist Hernan Moscoso Boedo told ABC News prior to the CPI data being released.

The Wall Street Journal reports gasoline prices surged more than other categories, with an 11.2% gain over May. Some economists are hoping we're at or near an inflation peak: Gas prices, for instance, were at $5 a gallon in mid-June but were down to a $4.66 nationwide average Tuesday—"still far higher than a year ago but a drop that could help slow inflation for July and possibly August," per the AP. (More inflation stories.)