In December, consumer prices in the United States (CPI) increased by 3.4% compared to December of the previous year. This increase in inflation was higher than economists' expectations and amounted to 0.3% on a monthly basis. In addition, inflation in November was 3.1%, which also means an acceleration in price growth. It should be noted that energy prices decreased by 2% in December after a more significant decrease of 5.4% in November. Food prices also slowed their growth to 2.7% in December. Energy prices in the United States fell by 2% last month after falling by 5.4% in November. Gasoline fell in price by 1.9%. The Core CPI index (the index excluding food and energy) in December increased by 0.3% on a monthly basis and by 3.9% on an annual basis. This means that inflation, excluding volatile food and energy prices, is also accelerating. The US Federal Reserve System carefully analyzes inflation data when making monetary policy decisions. The inflation target set by the Fed is 2%, and an increase in inflation may affect the regulator's future decisions regarding interest rates and monetary policy.
