12-Month Change
Overall consumer prices rose 1.2 percent in the year ended in November after a 1 percent year-over-year gain in October. The core CPI climbed 1.7 percent from November 2012, matching the gains in the previous two months.
Energy costs fell 1 percent from a month earlier. The decline reflected cheaper gasoline and natural gas.
Falling gasoline costs this quarter have given households the wherewithal to spend more on other goods and services. The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has declined to $3.23 as of Dec. 15 from $3.39 on Oct. 1, according to AAA, the biggest U.S. motoring group.
Food costs rose 0.1 percent for a second month.
New-automobile prices declined 0.1 percent for a second month. Clothing prices dropped 0.4 percent after declining 0.5 percent in each of the prior two months, while home furnishing costs also declined.
Owners-equivalent rent, one of the categories designed to track rental prices, increased 0.3 percent.