The core rate rose only 0.3% in November, mostly due to increases in auto prices.
The Fed has raised its core rate 17 times since mid-2004, from a 45-year low of 1%.
But the core rate of inflation (excluding food and energy) jumped to 1.6% from 1.2% in February.
The Fed will take comfort that the core rate was only up 0.2%, an annualized rate of 2.4%.
The core rate of consumer-price inflation (excluding fresh foods) turned positive (0.1%) in the 12 months to November.
However, the Fed will most likely seize upon the month-over-month change in the core rate, which registered a negative .6%.
The Labor Department said the CPI fell a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in October overall, while the core rate rose 0.1%.
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On the year, the CPI was up 3.7% last month, matching the March figure, while the core rate was 2.4%.
In September it reduced its core rate to 4.75% from 5.25%, where it had been for more than a year.
In May, the CPI rose 0.1% and was up 3.1% year-on-year, while the core rate was up 0.2% and 2.4% on the year.
But what the Fed is trying to do is say, what's the core rate of inflation that we can actually control with interest rates?
The core rate increased at a rate of 2.6% over the first six months, up from a 1.7% rate over the same period in 1999.
If there is no sign of a rise in the core rate of inflation (excluding energy prices), then there is no need to raise interest rates.
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With inflationary expectations now well anchored just below 2% and the core rate of inflation at 1.6%, there seems little danger of inflation surging out of control.
The so-called "core rate" excluding food and energy was 0.7.
"The fall in the core rate... might be the first real sign that the weakness of households' spending power is starting to bear down on underlying price pressures in the High Street, " said Jonathan Loynes of Capital Economics.
Rather, some half of hedge funds investing in Japan had net inflows and a core growth rate of 3.8%.
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If growth remains well below trend and the euro rises, the average core inflation rate will fall below 0.7% next year.
Economists say subdued demand, which reflects the weak state of the economy, has led to the fall in the core inflation rate.
However, Germany's core inflation rate is only 0.6%, perilously close to deflation.
In fact, the U.S. core CPI rate is likely to tick up to 1.7%, which would be the highest since December 2009.
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Core U.S. consumer prices (discounting energy and food) rose a less than expected 0.1% in July, but the core inflation rate was 2.4%.
The recent strong pace of growth in America and the rise in its core inflation rate therefore make a strong case for a rise in interest rates now.
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The June Consumer Price Index rose just 0.2% from May, the government said, the lowest in four months, even as the "core" rate, which discounts food and energy, rose a slightly higher than expected 0.3%.
The Federal Reserve, which uses the core inflation rate to decide its policy in creating economic conditions that will keep inflation at a low level and create jobs, may be worried now that the consumer now may now begin spending less and saving more as food and gas prices rise.
City economists are also reassured by the fall in the "core" inflation rate in June, from 2.2% to 2.1%.
Third, we have made important investments in our core computing infrastructure that provides us greater scalability and increases the rate of iteration on core technologies, like algorithmic search, as much as tenfold.
Citi said they want to see high single digit growth before they re-rate the core.
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Wesbury would like to see the federal funds rate at a "neutral" 6.5% or so. (Neutral is the GDP growth rate plus core inflation.) Me?
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