The week of October 12–16, 2026

The Inflation Is Stuck in the Middle.

Producer prices jump 1.3% in September, the most since March 2022, and intermediate goods run 14.1% above a year ago, while CPI hits 3.7% with core at 2.6%, retail sales ex-gas rise just 0.2%, and diesel slips to $6.179.

Read the issueJosh Hoffner, 14 min read

This week in numbers

The figures this issue turns on. An orange rule marks a reading that rose.

PPI final demand (Sept)
+1.3% MoM
▲ 6.3% YoY; largest monthly rise since March 2022
CPI all items (Sept)
3.7% YoY
▲ from 3.4%; core 2.6%
PPI processed intermediate goods (Sept)
+14.1% YoY
▲ 2.5% MoM; unprocessed +21.5% YoY
Retail diesel (DOE weekly)
$6.179/gal
▼ 2.0¢ WoW; third straight drop
Drewry World Container Index
$4,351/40ft
▼ 2% WoW (Oct 8)
Cass truckload linehaul index (Sept)
+10.1% YoY
Highest reading in four years

Recent issues

Freight Cooled. Prices Kept Climbing.Diesel drops 18.3¢ to $6.199 and Asia–Europe ocean slides, but ISM factory prices jump to 77.9, services prices hit 74.0, payrolls add just 29,000, and the Fed minutes point to another hike.

Costs moving faster than your plan?

Book a 30-minute Operational Pressure Check with Josh Hoffner of Cedar Advisory.

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