Consumer prices edged slightly higher in May after holding steady in April, government data showed on June 17 in a report underscoring weak demand amid the prolonged recession.
The Labor Department said its consumer price index (CPI) rose a modest 0.1% from April, according to seasonally adjusted data. The price rise was less than most analysts' expectations of a 0.3% gain.
Overall CPI was unchanged in April after slipping 0.1% in March.
On a 12-month basis, CPI fell for the third straight month in May, by 1.3%, the sharpest annual drop in consumer prices since April 1950.
Core consumer prices, excluding food and energy, also increased 0.1% in May, in line with expectations, after gaining 0.3% in April.
Core inflation was up 1.8% from May 2008, a rate within the economic comfort zone of US monetary authorities.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
