By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in December, the Labor Department said Thursday. So-called core prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1%. The core data strips out volatile food and energy costs. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.1% increase in the CPI, with a 0.2% rise in the core rate. Consumer prices have risen an unadjusted 3.0% over the past 12 months, but that's down from 3.9% in June. The core rate has risen 2.2% over the past 12 months. Inflation-adjusted hourly wages, on average, rose 0.2% in December, the government said.
