US inflation rise driven by petrol prices

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US inflation rose 0.4% in May, mainly driven by a sharp increase in petrol prices, the US Department of Labor has said.

The 10.4% petrol price increase in May was the biggest since June 2009.

Core inflation, which strips out food and energy prices, rose 0.1% in the month, according to official figures.

Food prices were unchanged for a second month running, but may rise in the coming months after a shortage of eggs in some parts of the country.

Over the past 12 months, overall inflation has shown no increase, while core inflation is up 1.7%, both showing modest inflation pressures.