The central bank’s preferred inflation measure, released on Friday, climbed 2.5 percent in January from a year earlier, slightly lower than the previous reading of 2.6 percent but still well above the Fed’s 2 percent target. On a monthly basis, prices increased 0.3 percent, in line with December’s pace.

Inflation fell a tenth of a percentage point to 2.5% for the year ending in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday in an update to the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge. The decline in the personal consumption expenditures index from 2.

Inflation has been above the 2% historic target every month since February 2021, according to the core personal expenditures index.