The nation's struggle to prevent deflation is apparently only just beginning. Consumer prices rose a less-than-expected 0.2% in October, with the core rate -- which excludes often-volatile food and energy prices -- unchanged for the third straight month. Equally significant, the 12-month core rate fell to 0.6% in October from 0.8% in September -- the lowest year-over-year core rate in the consumer price index's history, which dates back to 1957, the U.S. Labor Department said.
Including food and energy, the overall 12-month inflation is running at a 1.2% rate, slightly higher than the 1.1% year-over-year rate recorded in September. A Bloomberg survey had expected overall consumer prices to rise 0.4% in October and the core rate to tick up 0.1% , after an 0.1% overall increase and no change for the core rate, respectively, in September.
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