Consumer Price Index Climbs in December

The consumer price index rose 0.1% in December, the Labor Department said Friday.

The CPI increase followed a 0.4% gain in November. The so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy, also grew 0.1%.

The increase was lower than economists’ forecasts of a 0.2% increase, Bloomberg reported. Energy prices increased 0.2%.

The CPI is the government’s broadest gauge of costs for goods and services. Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services.

If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.