BrazilPrices rose 4.62% in a year, official data show.
Several polls put Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro within the margin of error in Brazil’s runoff.
The Liberal Party won 121 of 513 lower-house seats on 4 October, up from 97, so the winner governs through Congress.
Analysts expected 4.74%, so the reading came in lower than forecast.
Brazil votes in the runoff on Sunday.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 450+ reports worldwide
- Al Jazeera Online
- foregrounds Bolsonaro's party gaining Congress seats and Flavio's prisoner-vote claim as a debate tactic, tying the campaign to Jair's convicted coup plot
- Bloomberg Business
Sources: Al Jazeera Online, Bloomberg Business