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August inflation report

Business · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 3 shows · 18m airtime

The BLS reported on September 11, 2026 that August consumer prices rose 0.4% after a 0.1% July increase, with core prices also accelerating. Real hourly earnings fell 0.3% over the past year and have been flat or falling for about five straight months. The discussion has since moved to the earnings side: average weekly and hourly earnings fell about 0.5% month over month and are down from last year, deepening the question of how far businesses can pass costs through without losing market share.

How 3 podcasts covered it

  1. Marketplace, 2026-09-11 (1:26 to 8:41)
    Reads the August inflation report and market reaction
    Reads the August inflation report and the market reaction: prices up 0.4%, core also faster, and economists saying it will be hard for the Fed to hold steady next week. Also weighs Treasury buybacks against a possible Fed hike and the 10-year approaching 5%.
    New angle: August prices rose 0.4% after 0.1% in July, and core prices also accelerated.
  2. Marketplace, 2026-09-11 (9:14 to 12:18)
    Reports real hourly earnings falling 0.3 percent
    Reports the wage side of the same CPI release: real hourly earnings fell 0.3% over the year, flat or falling for five straight months, with workers adding hours, draining savings and falling behind on cards.
    New angle: Real hourly earnings fell 0.3% over the past year and have been flat or falling for about five straight months.
  3. The Journal., 2026-09-17 (9:48 to 10:59)
    Breaks down three forces pushing inflation up
    Timiraos breaks down the three forces pushing inflation back up - the Iran war's pass-through to diesel and refined products, the AI buildout straining electricity and memory, and tariffs now fully in prices - and notes the world looks different than eight or nine months ago.
  4. The Journal., 2026-09-17 (13:18 to 16:21)
    Explains why the Fed cannot fix supply inflation
    Timiraos explains why the Fed can't fix supply-driven inflation: it can cool demand but can't print hydrocarbons, and 50–75 basis points won't stop the AI buildout. A framing segment that stays inside the inflation-entrenchment argument already on the record.
  5. The Journal., 2026-09-17 (16:21 to 17:48)
    Adds the demand side of the inflation report
    Adds the demand side of the August inflation report: real wages flat this year, and businesses split between those passing costs through without losing share and those meeting consumer resistance the Fed reads as good news.
  6. Big Take, 2026-10-15 (5:25 to 6:55)
    Pulls BLS wage data into inflation
    Pulls the BLS earnings data into the inflation story: average weekly and hourly earnings fell about 0.5 percent month over month and are down from last year, with the hosts tying the decline to the Iran war's energy surge and saying inflation may be broadening.
    New angle: Average weekly and hourly earnings fell about 0.5% month over month and are down from last year.
Unpacking...