Bloomberg Surveillance · Saturday, September 12, 2026
Rising diesel prices, which have surpassed $6 a gallon, are expected to lead to further increases in grocery store prices. Nikki Waller highlighted that diesel costs are a significant component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and directly impact the transportation costs of goods like food. This suggests that consumers may face additional price hikes on everyday items.
“So one thing to look at is not just what happened last month, but what is going to happen in the future. We saw the other big number that you mentioned earlier, that diesel went up to $ 6 a gallon. That shows up in the CPI. Fuel costs, obviously, a huge part of that number.”
“But the other thing that we're going to see with all of those costs is that Diesel is the price of getting your groceries to the grocery store. So even more price hikes are in store for things like the bananas and beans that you're going to be buying at the grocery store right now.”