WASHINGTON - eTradeWire -- The latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report signals a troubling acceleration in business inflation, creating additional financial pressures for Black-owned and other minority-owned businesses, according to Creative Investment Research (CIR).

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that producer prices increased 1.3% in September, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, bringing annual producer inflation to 6.3%, the highest rate since December 2022.

Energy prices surged 10.8%, gasoline prices jumped 20.3%, and transportation and warehousing services increased 3.4%. Meanwhile, underlying producer inflation, excluding food, energy, and trade services, reached 5.0% year over year.

"These numbers are particularly troubling for Black and minority-owned businesses," said William Michael Cunningham, economist and CEO of Creative Investment Research. "Rising energy, transportation, and supply-chain costs are forcing smaller firms to spend more simply to maintain existing operations. At the same time, higher borrowing costs make the additional working capital they need increasingly expensive."

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Inflation Is Becoming a Capital-Access Crisis

Minority-owned businesses face a disproportionate financial burden from accelerating producer inflation.

Large corporations can often negotiate supplier discounts, hedge energy costs, and access capital markets. Smaller minority firms frequently lack these advantages.

The September report also showed that processed intermediate-goods prices were 14.1% higher than a year earlier, highlighting continued inflationary pressures moving through the production pipeline.

These increases are particularly impactful to minority-owned businesses in trucking, construction, logistics, manufacturing, retail, and food services.

Federal Economic Policies May Compound Inflation Pressures

Tariffs, immigration restrictions, and reductions in federal supplier-diversity initiatives  compound economic pressures facing minority businesses.

"Tariffs can raise input costs, immigration restrictions can constrain labor supply, and reductions in minority procurement opportunities can weaken revenues," Cunningham said. "The combination of slower employment growth, elevated input costs, and higher borrowing expenses creates a particularly difficult environment for minority entrepreneurs."

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Federal Reserve Faces Difficult Choices

The acceleration in producer inflation complicates monetary policy. Higher interest rates may help restrain inflation but can also increase financing costs for small businesses already struggling with limited credit access.

CIR recommends expanding working-capital financing, accelerating payments to minority suppliers, and strengthening procurement and supplier-development programs.

"Inflation is not economically neutral," Cunningham added. "Businesses with the least access to capital often suffer the greatest damage. Supporting minority-owned firms strengthens competition, expands productive capacity, and helps address inflation over the long term."

For more, see: https://www.impactinvesting.online/2026/10/september-ppi-surges-13-another.html