Cheaper gas sends US consumer prices down 0.1 pct

WASHINGTON - Consumer prices slipped 0.1 per cent last month, pulled down by sharply lower gas prices and cheaper air fares, used cars, and mobile phone plans. The consumer price index rose just 1.9 per cent in December from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, the first time it has fallen below 2 per cent since August 2017. Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, core prices rose 0.2 per cent for the third month in a row. They rose 2.2 per cent from a year ago for the second straight month.