Consumer prices Inflation saw uptick last month U.S. consumer prices rose in December by less than f

U.S. consumer prices rose in December by less than forecast, a welcome stepdown that helped arrest a deep selloff in bond markets and reinvigorate bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates sooner than previously thought. Wednesday's report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 2.9% in December from a year ago, the…