U.S. consumer prices drop 0.3% in November

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
U.S. consumer prices declined a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in November, mainly because of falling gasoline costs
So-called core prices, which exclude the volatile food and energy categories, rose 0.1%, the Labor Department said Friday
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.2% decrease in the main CPI and a 0.2% advance in the core rate
The energy index dropped 4.1% while food prices rose 0.2%
Consumer prices have risen an unadjusted 1.8% over the past 12 months, or by a similar 1.9% on a core basis
That's within the Federal Reserve's inflation target
Real or inflation-adjusted hourly wages, meanwhile, jumped 0.5% last month to post the biggest increase in four years.
et real wages are flat over the past 12 months, meaning the average worker has seen no increase in his purchasing power.