That was the lowest year-over-year inflation rate in more than 2 1/2 years. Core prices rose 3.5% in October from a year earlier, below the 3.7% year-over-year increase in September. Those price increases, though smaller than they were last year, are still faster than was typically true before the pandemic. The declines in spending on those items suggests that the Fed's rate increases are discouraging purchases in some areas. The central bank’s rate rate hikes have elevated the costs of mortgages, auto loans and other forms of consumer borrowing as well as business loans.

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Persons: They've, ” Vincent Reinhart, Christopher Waller, Waller Organizations: WASHINGTON, Commerce Department, Dreyfus, Mellon, AAA, Fed Locations: Europe, U.S