In the United States, the producer price index (PPI) rose 9.7% in December (compared to the previous year), and unemployment insurance claims in the first week of January increased by 23,000 from the previous week to 230,000. The U.S. Department of Labor announced on the 12th that the consumer price index (CPI) for December last year was 7%, the highest since 1982. The US CPI was 6.8% in Novembe..