(MENAFN) US consumer prices suddenly fell in Dec as the cost of energy products and food dropped, posing signs of fragile inflation that further reduce prospects of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in March.
A noticeable economic plunge that was present at the end of 2015 was also aided by the decrease in housing starts and building permits, not to mention weak reports on retail sales and industrial production.
In particular, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) dipped 0.1 percent over the cited month after being unchanged in November, it was also weighed down by moderate increases in rents and healthcare costs.
However, the CPI increased 0.7 percent in the twelve months through December, reflecting the largest improvement in a year, which followed a slight 0.5 percent climb throughout November.
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