The rate of inflation in USA it climbed in May to 8.6%, three tenths above that of April and the highest in forty years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this Friday.
The monthly rise in consumer prices was 1%.
Although the inflation had moderated slightly in April with its first drop in seven months, it shot up again in May to reach its highest rate since 1981.
The rise in prices in May was driven above all by the rise in energy prices and also, although to a lesser extent, by the rise in housing and food prices.
Energy prices (gasoline, crude oil, electricity and gas) increased by 34.6% in the last twelve months, pushed by the price of crude oil, which rose by 106.7%, the largest increase since data was collected.
Compared to the month of April, energy prices increased by 3.9%, in contrast to the drop of 2.7% that was registered then compared to the month of March.
Food prices, for their part, rose by 10.1% in one year, especially those related to purchases in the supermarket, which increased by 11.9%, while those of food in restaurants increased by 7.4%.
Both figures are slightly higher than the increase recorded last month, which contributes to the inflation grew in May at the fastest rate that has been recorded in the country in the last 40 years.
If food and fuel prices, which are the most volatile, are excluded, the inflation core was 6% year on year.
The price of housing, one of the most important in calculating the inflation underlying, rose 5.5% in one year and its monthly increase was 0.6%.
Wall Street opened this Friday in the red and the Industrial Dow Jones lost 1.81%, after learning that the interest rate inflation in USA it climbed in May to 8.6%.
