Data released moments ago by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, rose by 0.4% in December after rising by about 0.3% in November, matching expectations, while the core index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose by 0.2% compared to 0.3% in November (expectations: 0.3).

On the other hand, the annual index rose over the past 12 months to 2.9% from 2.7% in November, matching expectations, while the annual core index rose to 3.2% from 3.3%.

In the details of the index, the food index recorded a growth of 2.5% on an annual basis and recorded an increase of about 0.3% in December from 0.4%, while the energy index roseش by 2.6% in December from 0.2%, contributing nearly 40% to the increase in the index despite its decline of about 0.5% on an annual basis.