Headline: U.S. Inflation Slows to 3.5% in June Amidst Geopolitical Developments

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Headline: U.S. Inflation Slows to 3.5% in June Amidst Geopolitical Developments

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U.S. inflation experienced a notable cooling in June 2026, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 3.5% over the past 12 months, according to a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. This figure is a decrease from the 4.2% annual increase recorded in May and was lower than the 3.8% forecast by economists. On a monthly basis, the CPI declined by 0.4% in June, which is the largest one-month decrease since April 2020.

The primary driver of this slowdown was a significant drop in energy prices, which fell 5.7% in June—the steepest monthly decline since April 2020. Gasoline prices, in particular, decreased by 9.7% in June. This reduction in energy costs has been linked to a temporary ceasefire in the conflict involving the United States and Iran, which had previously contributed to elevated energy prices and overall inflation.

Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, the core CPI remained unchanged in June and increased 2.6% over the last year. This is a decrease from the 2.9% annual rise in core CPI seen in May. Despite this positive development, some economists caution that the renewed conflict in the Middle East following the end of the ceasefire could lead to another surge in oil prices and potentially reverse the recent progress in combating inflation. The June

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