US consumer inflation rose last month to its highest level since January, government data showed Thursday, although analysts believe that this is unlikely to deter the central bank from an interest rate cut next week.

The consumer price index (CPI) picked up to 2.9 percent in August, accelerating from 2.7 percent on a year-on-year basis in July, said the Labor Department, as President Donald Trump's tariffs filter through the world's biggest economy.

The figure was in line with analysts' expectations, and economists are trying to gauge if Trump's duties will bring about a one-off price increase or lead to persistently higher costs.

On a month-on-month basis, CPI rose 0.4 percent in August, the report said, also picking up from 0.2 percent in July.

And a measure of underlying inflation,

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