US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September

US consumer inflation cooled slightly less than expected last month, according to government data published Thursday, providing further evidence that price pressures are easing ahead of November's presidential election.

The consumer price index (CPI) slowed to 2.4 percent in September from a year ago, down from 2.5 percent in August, the Labor Department said in a statement.

This was slightly below the median forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.