The inflation rate in the United States fell again in January, three tenths, to 3.1%, which is in line with the objectives of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and its plans to begin lowering rates at some point in this year if prices continue to fall.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this Tuesday that in monthly terms consumer prices increased three tenths compared to December, while underlying inflation, a key data that the Fed analyzes to make its decisions on interest rates, remained unchanged. in interannual terms at 3.9%.
The house price index continued to rise in January and contributed more than two-thirds to the monthly increase in prices of all items. It increased 0.6% compared to December and rises 6% annually.
Meanwhile, food prices rose 0.4% in January and have accumulated a year-on-year increase of 2.6%.
On the other hand, the energy index fell 0.9% during the month and in year-on-year terms it fell 4.6%.
The price of transport also increased considerably, 1% on a monthly basis, and has accumulated an increase of 9.5%.
The drop in inflation in January, which occurs after the three-tenths rebound recorded in December, which caused inflation to close in 2023 at 3.4%, occurs at a key moment for the Fed, which is studying when to start to lower rates.
In its last meeting held on January 30 and 31, the US central bank decided to keep rates within the range of 5.25% and 5.5%, their highest level since 2001.
Following the announcement, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that if the economy performs as expected and inflation continues to decline steadily, it will likely be appropriate to begin reducing rates this year.
To make this decision, in addition to inflation, the Fed closely analyzes data such as unemployment.
In January, the unemployment rate in the United States remained at 3.7% for the third consecutive month and 353,000 net jobs were created, a figure much higher than the 255,000 net jobs created per month on average in 2023 and which is about above the forecasts made by analysts.
In addition, it was recently learned that the United States grew above forecasts last year and closed 2023 with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.1%, thanks to increased consumer spending despite inflation. EFE
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