[US Inflation Accelerated in September, Fueling Expectations for a December Fed Rate Hike] According to Jinshi Data on October 29th, US consumer prices rose faster in September, potentially further supporting a Fed rate hike in December after pausing this week. A report released Thursday by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that, measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, prices rose 0.5% month-over-month and 3.6% year-over-year in September. The faster price increases further indicate that inflation is higher than Fed officials would prefer. The Fed uses the PCE price index to measure inflation, with a long-term goal of maintaining an annual increase of around 2%. Core prices, excluding volatile categories such as food and energy, rose 3.1% year-over-year and 0.3% month-over-month in September. The core price increase was also 0.3% month-over-month in August. The previous day, Fed officials voted 10-2 to keep interest rates unchanged, with two officials voting against maintaining the current rate and advocating for a rate hike. Investors expect Fed officials to raise rates again at their final meeting of the year in December, and potentially multiple rate hikes next year.