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The consumer price index rose 0.4% in August as food, energy and housing costs increased, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The upturn in the government’s main inflation gauge was twice the 0.2% increase predicted by economists, Bloomberg reported.

The core CPI rate excluding food and energy rose 0.2% for the second straight month, matching economists’ projections, Bloomberg said.

Almost 60 of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services. If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.