华盛顿消息——尽管美国人增加了支出，但上个月通胀有所放缓。不过，物价涨幅依然处于高位，随着中期选举临近，这对许多选民来说仍是一个挑战。
CHRISTOPHER RUGABER WASHINGTON — Inflation slowed a bit last month as Americans ramped up their spending, though price gains remained elevated and are a challenge for many voters as the midterm elections approach. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared with a year earlier, below the 3.7% economists had forecast.
美国商务部周三表示，8月份消费者价格同比上涨3.4%，低于经济学家此前预测的3.7%。
On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3%, up from 0.1% in July, a sign prices are still running hot.
从月度来看，价格上涨了0.3%，高于7月份的0.1%，这表明物价仍在持续走高。
Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, inflation also came in lower than expectations, rising 3% in August from a year ago.
剔除波动较大的能源和食品类别，8月份核心通胀率同比上涨3%，低于预期；环比来看，核心价格上涨了0.2%，高于上个月的0.1%。
And from July to August, core prices rose just 0.2%, up from 0.1% the previous month.
通胀率仍高于美联储2%的目标，8月份的月度涨幅表明通胀短期内不会回落至目标水平。
Inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target and the monthly increase in August suggests it isn’t moving back toward the target anytime soon.
美联储两周前三年来首次上调了关键短期利率以对抗通胀，大多数经济学家预计今年至少还会加息一次，最早可能在下个月底。
The Fed lifted its key short-term interest rate two weeks ago for the first time in three years to combat inflation and most economists expect it will do so at least once more this year, possibly as soon as late next month.
尽管美国经济增长总体稳健且失业率较低，但高物价仍给经济蒙上了一层阴影。
High prices have cast a pall on the U.S. economy, even as growth is mostly solid and the unemployment rate is low.
受此通胀数据影响，美国股市随即走高，投资者押注美联储预期的加息可能会推迟。
U.S. markets bounced higher immediately on the new inflation reading, with investors betting that an expected interest-rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve might be delayed.