The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 2.2 percent. The energy index rose 3.9 percent and accounted for about three-fourths of the all items increase. The gasoline index increased 7.3 percent, and the other energy component indexes also rose. The food index was unchanged in November, with the index for food at home declining slightly. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in November. The shelter index ... (full story)

U.S. inflation picked up in November thanks to a jump in energy prices yet unexpectedly cooled when excluding food and fuel costs, which could factor into Federal Reserve discussions this week on how fast to raise interest rates. The consumer price index rose 0.4 percent from the prior month, matching the median estimate of economists, a Labor Department report showed Wednesday. Excluding food and energy, the so-called core gauge increased 0.1 percent from October and 1.7 percent from a year earlier, missing median projections by 0.1 percentage point. The figures indicate that outside of energy, inflation is still ... (full story)