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.
A report from financial services website Credit Summit found that 90 percent of Americans say they enjoy receiving gift cards but a staggering $21 billion locked inside them have gone unspent.
This photo provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet in flight, July 17, 2019, after refueling over the Pacific Ocean near the coast of Brisbane, Australia. Boeing announced Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, that it expects to end production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet in late 2025 after a final delivery to the U.S. Navy. (Senior Airman Elora J. Martinez/U.S. Air Force via AP, File)
