U.S. consumer spending rebounded sharply in January amid strong income growth, while inflation accelerated, which could add to financial markets fears that the Federal Reserve could continue raising interest rates through summer.
The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, tracked by the Federal Reserve for monetary policy, shot up 0.6% last month after gaining 0.2% in December. In the 12 months through January, the PCE price index accelerated 5.4% after rising 5.3% in December.
Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the PCE price index increased 0.6% after climbing 0.4% in December. The so-called core PCE price index increased 4.7% on a year-on-year basis in January after advancing 4.6% in December.