The consumer price index was flat in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, the second straight month the index was unchanged, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.
In May, the index fell 0.3%.
Core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, were up 0.1% for the month, after rising by 0.2% in June.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters projected that the headline and core price indexes would each rise 0.2%.
"Major indexes posted small movements in July, with a 0.3% decline in the energy index offsetting 0.1% increases in the indexes for food and all items less food and energy," the department said in a release. "Within energy, declines in the indexes for electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil more than offset a small increase in the gasoline index. Within the food component, the food at home index was unchanged with major grocery store food group indexes mixed, while the food away from home index increased."
