Inflation pressures eased slightly in May as consumer spending slowed considerably, according to a Commerce Department report released Friday.
The personal consumption expenditures price index, a number closely watched by the Federal Reserve, increased 0.3% for the month when excluding food and energy, a number that was in line with the Dow Jones estimate. So-called core PCE increased 4.6% from a year ago, 0.1 percentage point less than expected.
In April, the index rose 0.4% for the month and 4.7% from a year ago.
When including the volatile food and energy components, inflation was considerably softer — up just 0.1% on the month and 3.8% from a year ago. Those were down respectively from the 0.4% and 4.3% increases reported for April.