The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Oct. 11, edition that United States inflation dropped to its lowest point in three years, with consumer prices rising just 2.4 per cent in September, the Labor Department reported Thursday. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe reports that core prices, excluding food and energy costs, remained elevated, up 0.3 per cent from August. Economists closely watch core prices, which typically provide a better hint of future inflation. UBS economist Alan Detmeister suggested that some items that contributed to higher core inflation last month, notably used cars, may rise again in the coming months, keeping prices a bit elevated. However, other items that rose in price in September, like clothing and air fares, are more volatile and should cool soon. "Things are still gradually coming down, but there is going to be volatility month to month," said Mr. Detmeister, a former Federal Reserve economist. Taken as a whole, the September figures show that inflation is steadily easing back to the Fed's 2-per-cent target, even if in an uneven pattern. That decline suggests that the Fed will likely keep cutting its benchmark interest rate this year.