Last Thursday, the Labor Department released a separate report showing the annual rate of U.S. consumer price growth accelerated more than expected in January. The report showed consumer prices in January were up by 7.5 percent compared to the same month a year ago, reflecting the fastest annual growth since February of 1982. The faster year-over-year growth came as the Labor Department said its consumer price index climbed by 0.6 percent in January, matching the upwardly revised advance seen in December.