Economics
U.S. Core Inflation Holds Steady as Energy Drags Down Main Index
- Housing, medical care contribute to steady price increases
- Energy, gasoline costs plunge by most in almost three years
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A key measure of U.S. inflation was little changed in December while falling energy prices dragged down the broader gauge, giving the Federal Reserve little urgency to raise interest rates soon as it signals a more cautious approach in 2019.
Excluding food and energy, the so-called core consumer price index rose 2.2 percent from a year earlier for a second month and increased 0.2 percent from November, matching the median estimates of economists, according to a Labor Department report Friday. The broader CPI cooled to a 1.9 percent annual gain and was down 0.1 percent from the prior month as energy costs fell the most in almost three years.