May inflation likely topped 4% for first time in 3 years, economists say

MoneyWatch Inflation in May likely topped 4% for the first time in 3 years, economists say .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Mary Cunningham Mary Cunningham Reporter, MoneyWatch Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. She previously worked at "60 Minutes," CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program. Read Full Bio Mary Cunningham June 9, 2026 / 3:37 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Economists expect a key inflation gauge set to be released on Wednesday to show that U.S. consumer prices in May rose at their fastest pace in more than three years. The Consumer Price Index is forecast to have risen last month at an annual rate of 4.2%, up from 3.8% in April, according to economists polled by financial data company FactSet. That would be the highest since April 2023, when inflation rose at a 4.9% rate, according to government data.So-called core CPI, which excludes volatile food and gas prices, is forecast to have risen much more modestly in May to an annual rate of 2.9%, from 2.8% the previous month, according to FactSet.Inflation surged during the pandemic and remains well above the Federal Reserve's 2% annual target. In contrast to the supply disruptions that drove inflation during the COVID-19 crisis, the latest leg up in prices is largely attributable to government policy, including the Iran war, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told CBS News. "It's been almost five years since the last time we were at the Fed's target, and I think just wearing down on the collective psyche, it's one reason why people feel so bad about the economy," he said.Three-quarters of Americans said their incomes aren't keeping up with inflation, according to a recent CBS News poll.The May CPI data is likely to show that higher energy prices are mostly to blame for ongoing inflation, according to economists. Those figures will capture the ris...