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The consumer price index rose 0.2% in July, its third consecutive increase, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The increase in the government’s main inflation gauge followed a 0.5% rise in June, Labor said. The core CPI rate, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2%.

The increase matchedÌýeconomists’ median forecast, Bloomberg News reported.

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