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.
Cloud contact center software company Five9's shareholders voted against the $14.7 billion all-stock acquisition deal from Zoom. A return to offices and in-person meetings have been cited for at least some of the reasons the deal ultimately fell through.
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Autonomous car companies Waymo and Cruise are one step closer to offering driverless ridesharing in California after receiving approval from the state's DMV to begin charging fees for their services. Both companies still need approval from the California Public Utilities Commission before offering rides to the public.
Futures rebounded this morning in reaction to positive news from Merck that its covid-19 treatment pill is 50 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations and death. It comes after a rocky month on Wall Street, which saw all the major averages post their worst months in over a year. Chris Vecchio, Senior Analyst, at DailyFX joined Wake Up with Cheddar for more.
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