A measure of inflation may have fallen to a five-year low in January as rental costs have cooled, a sign that some prices are moderating while Americans continue to grapple with a big rise in overall prices in the past five years.
Inflation is forecast to have fallen to a 2.4% annual rate in January from 2.7% in December in the latest government report on consumer prices to be issued Friday. That would be the lowest rate in nine months. Core prices, which exclude the volatile food and gas categories, are expected to decline to 2.5% from 2.6%, the lowest in nearly five years, according to data provider FactSet.
