US consumer prices jumped 0.3 percent in December after two basically flat months mainly due to higher energy prices, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Customers shop at a Walmart Neighborhood Market store on August 15, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois
But stripping out the volatile energy and food price components, the core consumer price index (CPI) rose just 0.1 percent, showing that inflation remains largely tame despite the economy's gains.
Energy costs rose 2.1 percent in the month.
For the 12 months through the end of December, the overall CPI was up just 1.5 percent, and the core CPI was up 1.7 percent, below the Federal Reserve's 2.0 percent target rate.
Of the full-year figure, price gains were highest in housing (+2.5 percent) and healthcare costs (+2.5 percent).