The year-on-year inflation in the United States stood at 4.2% during the month of May, which represents an increase of five tenths compared to the rate registered in April and is the sharpest price increase since May 2023, three years ago. This rebound occurs in a context marked by the war in Iran, which has been ongoing for more than three months, according to figures published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
Within the general index, energy prices increased by 3.9% in May, above the 3.8% observed in April and after the sharp jump of 10.9% in March, coinciding with the start of the offensive against Iran. The evolution of energy products explained more than 60% of the monthly increase in the overall inflation figure.
In parallel, the core inflation rate, which excludes the volatility associated with energy and food from the calculation, advanced in May to 2.9% year-on-year, slightly above the 2.8% recorded in the previous month.
If the monthly variation is analyzed, the housing category registered an increase of 0.3%, while the food index increased by 0.2% in the same period. Within this section, prices of food consumed at home rose by 0.1% and food consumed away from home increased by 0.3%.