Consumer prices in the U.S. in April rose only 0.2% from March, despite a big leap in food costs.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that the core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy from the calculation, ticked up 0.1%, half of the expected increase. The overall CPI was estimated to have risen 0.3%.
Year over year, core consumer inflation was up 2.3%, slightly below the consensus economists' forecast of 2.4%. The overall CPI climbed 3.9% year over year and was also under the expected increase of 4%.
Content Continues Below
For the month, food prices surged 0.9%, the biggest advance in nearly two decades. Energy prices, the government said, were unchanged from March.
© 1996 -
2008 TheStreet.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Most Read Articles from TheStreet.com
Stocks With Insider Buying, Buybacks: CVS
Large repurchases make CVS and Lexmark stocks to watch.
Kodiak Joins 'Stocks Under $10' Watch List
The main catalyst for the oil and gas company lies in the Bakken Shale play, located in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana.
Cramer on Top-Searched Stocks: Joy Global
Joy Global is among the most-searched stocks on <I>TheStreet.com</I>. Here's what Cramer had to say about it recently.