TechFlame News: Economists surveyed by Reuters expect the U.S. headline CPI annual rate to ease to 3.4% in July from 3.5% in June, while the core CPI annual rate is projected to dip to 2.5% from 2.6% the prior month. Citigroup economists believe that, as anticipated, a second consecutive month of softer inflation readings would signal more than just one month of data pointing to easing price pressures, effectively ruling out a September rate hike. However, economists also expect a slight uptick in core services inflation for July, with prices rising 0.3% month-over-month. This comes after the metric held flat from May to June. According to analysts at Bank of America, a rebound in the core services gauge could keep a September rate hike on the table. Analyst Kate Duguid noted that if the latter view gains traction and inflation comes in below expectations, a Fed rate hike might be pushed back to December or later.