US consumer prices rose slightly in December but ended the year on a tame note, the Labor Department reported today.
The Consumer Price Index, the most widely watched gauge of US inflation pressures, gained a seasonally adjusted 0.1 per cent in December.It also posted a 0.1 per cent increase outside of the volatile food and energy categories. The gains were less than Wall Street analysts had expected.
For the year, overall prices rose 2.4 per cent, the biggest gain since 2000. But outside of food and energy, prices were up a much lower 1.9 per cent, the smallest increase since 1999.