Economists expect that inflation nudged higher in December, a trend that could call into question the market’s eager anticipation that the Federal Reserve will slash interest rates this year. The consumer price index, a widely followed measure of the costs folks pay for a wide range of goods and services, is projected to have risen 0.2% in the final month of 2023, or 3.2% for the full year, according to Dow Jones. At a time when the Fed is fighting inflation through tight monetary policy including elevated rates, news that prices are holding at high levels could be enough to disrupt already-fragile markets. “The Fed ... (full story)