Interest Rates , Likely to Stay High , Despite Inflation Cooling.br In December, price growth in br the United States cooled, despite the economy br continuing to show signs of weakness.br NBC reports that inflation br ended up at 6.5 compared br to the same time in 2021.br In line with expectations, br month-to-month inflation br fell by 0.1 in December.br Despite the slowing rate of inflation, br the Federal Reserve appears unlikely to pull br back from its interest rate hike strategy.br According to Federal Reserve Chair br Jerome Powell, the central bank will not stop hiking br interest rates until inflation gets closer to 2. .br NBC reports that the economy br has been buoyed by br a strong labor market. .br According to the Bureau of Labor br Statistics, unemployment has reached br a 53-year low, dropping to 3.5. .br However, companies are still facing br difficulty in filling positions, as evidenced br by the 10.5 million job openings in the U.S.br The high number of openings has led to an increase br in wages, however the Fed warns that the trend is br likely to translate into higher prices for consumers.br To be clear, strong wage growth is br a good thing.