On track with expectations, inflation cooled slightly in February.
The latest consumer price index (CPI) shows prices rising 0.4 percent month-over-month in February, down from 0.5 percent in January, while the annual inflation is up 6 percent, down from 6.4 percent.
Shelter accounted for 70 percent of the increase, rising 0.8 percent. The jump came despite efforts by the Federal Reserve to tamp down on home prices by rapidly raising interest rates.
Food prices, meanwhile, decelerated from 0.5 percent to 0.4 percent, and energy prices declined 0.6 percent after rising 2 percent in January. The drop in energy prices was mostly powered by a 7.9 percent drop in fuel oil prices.
Used car prices also fell a whopping 2.8 percent. Once one of the main drivers of inflation, the category is now helping bring down the index.
The Food and Drug Administration is asking Congress for new powers, including the ability to mandate drug recalls and require eyedrop makers to undergo inspections before shipping products to the U.S.
The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday for a third straight time, and its officials signaled that they expect to make three quarter-point cuts to their benchmark rate next year.
Eliott Wellenbach, vice president and institutional ETF strategist with Direxion, joined Cheddar News to discuss what traders are expecting from consumer spending ahead of the holidays and how they're positioning themselves following the latest inflation data and mortgage rates.
