schema:articleBody
| - Inflation rose slightly more than expected in November, according to US government data Thursday, but nowhere near enough for the Federal Reserve to shift from its zero-rate stance next week. The Labor Department's consumer price index rose 0.2 percent last month, seasonally adjusted, a hair more than expected after remaining flat in October. The increase was not driven by any item in particular, the report said, though some categories that declined sharply as the Covid-19 pandemic began continued to see prices recover. The Fed in March slashed rates to zero as the pandemic struck, and later unveiled a new inflation-targeting policy that means rates will stay lower for longer to promote maximum employment. No rate increase is foreseen before inflation nears the 2.0 percent mark. Though the November CPI increase was slightly better than expected, Rubeela Farooqi of High Frequency Economics said it is not likely to last. "Prices are likely to remain contained, especially in the near term, as demand comes under pressure from virus-combatting protocols and as capacity remains ample," she wrote in an analysis. Prices for food away from home rose by 0.1 percent, helping to offset the 0.3 percent decrease in food at home. Airline fares rose 3.5 percent, weaker than October but nonetheless a positive sign for the travel industry hard-hit by the pandemic. Lodging costs rose 3.9 percent after declining sharply in October. All told, inflation was up 1.2 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted, while it was up 1.6 percent excluding food and energy. cs/hs
|