The cost of living in the U.S. unexpectedly dropped in August for the first time in more than a year, showing inflation still is falling short of the Federal Reserve’s goal as policy makers meet. The consumer-price index declined 0.2 percent, the first decrease since April 2013, a Labor Department report showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 83 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for unchanged. Excluding volatile food and fuel, the so-called core measure was unchanged, the first time it failed to increase in almost four years. A drop in energy costs and muted global growth are helping contain ... (full story)