This article was originally published on WealthyVC.com. Core inflation in the US cooled more than expected in December, sparking optimism about the Federal Reserve’s path for interest rates in 2025. The Consumer Price Index (CPI),

The consumer price index, an inflation gauge, rose 2.9% on an annual basis in December 2024 on the back of higher food and energy prices.

The Labor Department released the inflation report for December, which showed prices were up 2.9% from a year ago, in line with economists expectations and up from 2.7% in November.

Entering 2025, models from forecasting companies like Trading Economics anticipate inflation rates between 2.4% and 2.9% between the end of 2024 and the start of 2026. Unfortunately, actually predicting inflation can be difficult, as rates can be affected by a variety of factors, including political climates and supply-chain interruptions.

Consumer inflation increased 2.9% in 2024, which is above the Federal Reserve's goal of 2%, but wages overall more than kept up with higher prices.

Gas prices rose sharply, but investors homed in on a small decline in the core CPI.

Survey finds tariffs, tax cuts and immigration policy could weigh on price outlook for next two years.

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.9 percent from a year earlier, but a measure of underlying inflation was more encouraging.

The annual inflation rate for housing and household services was 6.0% in December 2024, up from 5.8% in November. This compares with a recent peak of 11.8% observed in January and February 2023. On a monthly basis, prices rose by 0.4% in December 2024, compared with a rise of 0.3% a year ago.

Sri Lanka's consumer price inflation dropped to minus 2% year-on-year in December after easing to minus 1.7% in November, official data showed on Tuesday, as the country posted a strong rebound from its worst financial crisis in decades.

Karen Vasquez, 44, walked out of jail in Cuba on Sunday, part of a deal brokered by the Vatican under which the Biden administration would loosen sanctions on the communist-run island, while Havana would release more than 500 people from its jails who are considered political prisoners by Washington.

For the first time since 2019, Canadian inflation stayed within the central bank’s target range for a full year, a mark of achievement for policymakers ahead of a potential tariff war that threatens to derail their progress.