Official figures show that US consumer prices rose by just 0.1% in November in an unexpected easing of inflation amid a weak economic recovery.
Economists had expected the Labor Department's consumer price index to gain 0.2%, as it had in October.
Excluding food and energy prices, which can be volatile month-to-month, so-called 'core' CPI increased 0.1%, matching expectations, after three months of flat readings.
The tepid inflation rate falls far short of the goals of the Federal Reserve, which on Tuesday kept lending rates unchanged at record lows and reaffirmed its massive monetary stimulus policies to boost the recovery. The Fed is concerned that the slow rise in prices could become deflationary, a vicious circle where prices drop along with salaries.
Separate figures pointed to a modest rise in industrial production, which rose by 0.4% in November after a revised 0.2% in October, according to Federal Reserve statistics. Production of durable goods -- items such as televisions, refrigerators and washing machines -- rose 0.7 percent in November, but production of vehicles and parts declined.
