Surging inflation has eased in recent months, but more evidence is needed to show that price increases are coming down in the long term, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Prices rose half a percent in January, according to the latest consumer price index. That is up from a 0.1 percent decline in December, and five times the 0.1 percent increase in November.
The monthly uptick was in line with expectation, though the year-over-year rate came in higher than expected 6.4 percent, a marginal drop from a 6.5 percent rate in December.
Shelter (i.e. housing) contributed the largest share to the monthly increase, rising 0.7 percent.
Energy costs were also up across the board. The price of piped gas shot up 6.7 percent, while energy overall was up 2 percent after two straight months of declines.
Food prices, meanwhile, were up 0.5 percent. That is up from 0.4 percent in December, but still low relative to the last six months.
Used car prices also continued their steady decline, dropping 1.7 percent month-over-month and 11.6 percent year-over-year.
Despite the month-over-month drop, the annual rate has slowed for seven straight months.
Cheddar News breaks down what to expect on The Day Ahead, as earnings from Albertsons and Carmax are on tap to be released while Fed minutes are due on Wednesday ahead of its meeting next month.
Karla Dennis, CEO and founder of Karla Dennis & Associates Inc., joined Cheddar News to explain what's needed in order to file for a tax extension and avoid penalties.
Irrigreen, an irrigation system startup that develops robotic sprinkler systems for homeowners and recently, recently secured $15 million in seed funding. Shane Dyer, CEO and co-founder of Irrigreen, joined Cheddar News to explain the benefits of the company's system that saves water with less equipment.
Automakers around the world are betting big on electric vehicles. Cheddar News took a peek at some of the models of the electric future at the New York International Auto Show.
Stocks closed mixed ahead of the release of more economic data. Matthew Johnson, president of Johnson Wealth & Income Management, joined Cheddar News to also weigh in on last week's jobs data and the status of the country's labor market and what that could mean for another Fed decision.
