The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis after being unchanged in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.9 percent before seasonal adjustment. The seasonally adjusted decline in the all items index was caused by a sharp decrease in the gasoline index, which fell 7.5 percent in December. This decline more than offset increases in several indexes including shelter, food, and other energy components. The energy index fell 3.5 percent, as the gasoline and fuel oil ... (full story)

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 ... (full story)