Recently, progress on inflation appeared to be stuck or, at worst, reversing: A closely watched gauge of underlying price hikes — an index that excludes highly volatile categories — hadn’t budged for months.

Some statistics illustrate why Americans still feel crunched even though traditional metrics make economic conditions seem strong.

The consumer price index, the cost shoppers pay for a wide range of goods and services, rose faster than expected in December but core items did not make the same jump, according to the latest report

Consumer inflation increased 2.9% in 2024, which is above the Federal Reserve's goal of 2%, but wages overall more than kept up with higher prices.

While the overall consumer price index rose, the core measure that omits food and energy costs was below estimates.

U.S. inflation data out Wednesday showed consumer prices ticked up more than expected in December amid higher gas prices. The Labor Department's consumer price index rose 0.4% last month, slightly more than economists polled by Reuters had expected,

Gas prices rose sharply, but investors homed in on a small decline in the core CPI.

Inflation ended 2024 by moving slightly higher. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 0.4% increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consu

The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% in December, compared to the previous month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. VIP access to exclusive Just the News newsmaker events hosted by John Solomon and his team.

The annual inflation rate for housing and household services was 6.0% in December 2024, up from 5.8% in November. This compares with a recent peak of 11.8% observed in January and February 2023. On a monthly basis, prices rose by 0.4% in December 2024, compared with a rise of 0.3% a year ago.

The consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to 2.9 percent last month from a year ago, up from 2.7 percent in November, the Labor Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, it got unstuck. The closely watched core measurement of the Consumer Price Index slowed for the first time in months, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday.