Consumer Price Index Rises 0.1%

The consumer price index rose 0.5% in December, the Labor Department said Friday.

The gain in the government’s main inflation gauge followed a 0.1% increase in November.

The increase was slightly higher than economists’ estimates of a 0.4 increase. The so-called core rate excluding food and energy increased 0.1%, in line with forecasts.

For all of last year, the CPI rose 1.5%, the smallest in two years.

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.