|
 WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumer prices increased at a faster pace than expected in January while a gauge of future economic activity posted a tiny increase, raising concerns about inflation and future growth.
The Consumer Price Index was up 0.2 percent in January as a big drop in energy prices only partially offset sizable increases in the cost of medical care, food, airline tickets and tobacco, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food components, rose 0.3 percent, the biggest one-month gain in seven months. Both figures were higher than economists had been expecting.
|