June CPI Down 0.2%; Core Rate Rises 0.3%

WASHINGTON — Consumer prices fell 0.2% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department reported Friday, after a revised 0.2% rise in May.

Core consumer prices, excluding food and energy, were up 0.3%% in June following a revised 0.3% increase in May.

Economists polled by Thomson Reuters had a median estimate of a 0.1% drop for prices overall and a 0.2% gain for the core CPI.

Energy prices drove down the headline number with a 4.4% drop, as gasoline tumbled 6.8%. That was the biggest decline in overall energy prices and gasoline since December 2008.

Food prices in June were up 0.2% after a revised 0.4% rise in May. The food increase was the smallest since a 0.1% rise in December 2010.

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