WASHINGTON (AP) — Fueled by pricier used cars, hotel rooms and groceries, inflation in the United States moved slightly higher last month in the latest sign that some price pressures remain elevated.

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in November from a year earlier, up from a yearly figure of 2.6% in October. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices increased 3.3%, the same as in the previous month. Measured month to month, prices climbed 0.3% from October to November, the biggest such increase since April. Core prices also rose 0.3% for a fourth straight month.

Wednesday’s inflation figures from the Labor Department are the final major piece of data that Federal Reserve officials will consider before they meet next week to decide on interest rates. The relatively mild November increase won’t likely be enough to discourage the officials from cutting their key rate by a quarter-point. The probability of a rate cut next week, as envisioned by Wall Street traders, rose to 98% after Wednesday’s inflation report was released, according to futures pricing tracked by CME FedWatch.

The Fed slashed its benchmark rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, by a sizable half-point in September and by a quarter-point in November. Those cuts lowered the central bank’s key rate to 4.6%, down from a four-decade high of 5.3%.

Grocery prices jumped last month, an uncomfortable reminder for consumers that food prices remain a big drag on households’ budgets. Beef prices leapt 3.1% just from October to November and are up 5% from a year earlier.

Egg prices, which have been volatile for more than two years, in part because of outbreaks of bird flu, soared 8.2% just last month. They are nearly 38% higher than a year ago.

Gas prices ticked up 0.6% from October to November, ending a string of declines. Still, gas is down more than 8% from a year earlier. Hotel prices leapt 3.2% from October to November and are 3.7% higher than a year ago.

But one key category that has been pushing prices up showed welcome signs of cooling in November: Rental prices ticked up just 0.2%, the smallest increase since July 2021. A measure of housing costs also rose by just 0.2%, the mildest rise since April 2021.

Fed officials have made clear that they expect inflation to fluctuate along a bumpy path even as it gradually cools toward their target level. In speeches last week, several of the central bank’s policymakers stressed their belief that with inflation having already fallen so far, it was no longer necessary to keep their benchmark rate quite as high.

Typically, the Fed cuts rates to try to stimulate the economy enough to maximize employment yet not so much as to drive inflation high. But the U.S. economy appears to be in solid shape. It grew at a brisk 2.8% annual pace in the July-September quarter, bolstered by healthy consumer spending. That has led some Wall Street analysts to suggest that the Fed doesn’t actually need to cut its key rate further.

but Chair Jerome Powell has said that the central bank is seeking to “recalibrate” its rate to a lower setting, one more in line with tamer inflation. In addition, hiring has slowed a bit in recent months, raising the risk that the economy could weaken in the coming months. Additional rate cuts by the Fed could offset that risk.

One possible threat to the Fed’s efforts to keep inflation down is Trump’s threat to impose widespread tariffs on U.S. imports — a move that economists say would likely send inflation higher. Trump has said he could impose tariffs of 10% on all imports and 60% on goods from China. As a consequence, economists at Goldman Sachs have forecast that core inflation would amount to 2.7% by the end of 2025. Without tariffs, they estimate it would drop to 2.4%.

When the Fed’s meeting ends Wednesday, it will not only announce its interest rate decision. The policymakers will also issue their latest quarterly projections for the economy and interest rates. In September, they projected four rate cuts for 2025. The officials will likely scale back that figure next week.

CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
Chris Rugaber covers the economy and the Federal Reserve

(Copyright, WBAP/KLIF 2024)