This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.
The weeds grow in a deserted kindergarten playground in Shlomi, northern Israel, near to the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man mourns a relative as he sits in a cemetery in Baalbek, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Rescuers use an excavator as they search for dead bodies through the rubble of a destroyed house, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ainata village, south Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Caretaker Transportation Minister Ali Hamieh, left, welcomes displaced residents returning from Syria at the Masnaa border crossing, eastern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Displaced residents sit in traffic as they return to their villages following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ablah, eastern Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
UNIFIL peacekeepers secure the area in Khardali, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Displaced residents drive past destroyed buildings as they return to Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Hezbollah supporters celebrate as they return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese men carry a dead body retrieved from under the rubble of a destroyed house in Ainata village, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
An Israeli soldier stands on the top of a tank on an area near the Israeli-Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A damaged sign alerting a closed military area sits near the Israeli-Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A damaged Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) stands on an area near the Israeli-Lebanese border, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People hug each other upon their arrival at their building after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israel soldiers walk next to a damaged animal farm hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon in Avivim, northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Destroyed buildings stand in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A destroyed mosque in the town of Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A worker drives his vehicle past a mall that was damaged following a rocket attack fired from Lebanon during the night, hours before the start of the ceasefire, in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A woman carries a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as people celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ghazieh, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Displaced families carry mattresses as they prepare to return to their villages after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Burned cars hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon rest next to a synagogue in Avivim, northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman mourns holding a portrait of her grandson, a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in the fighting with Israeli troops, as she waits for rescuers to recover his body from under the rubble of a destroyed house, background, in Ainata village, south Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents returning from Syria sit in traffic as roadworks get underway to reopen the Masnaa border crossing, eastern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A rocket, fired from Lebanon during the night hours before the start of the ceasefire, sits wedged in the ground next to a damaged car in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People sit in traffic as they return to their villages after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Ghazieh, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A man celebrates carrying a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A woman hugs her crying daughter as displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
People in a car return back to their villages with their belongings after a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, as they pass in front of a destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A woman carries a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as she returns to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A man who is returning to his village waves as he carries his belongings on his car after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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The weeds grow in a deserted kindergarten playground in Shlomi, northern Israel, near to the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man mourns a relative as he sits in a cemetery in Baalbek, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Rescuers use an excavator as they search for dead bodies through the rubble of a destroyed house, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ainata village, south Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Caretaker Transportation Minister Ali Hamieh, left, welcomes displaced residents returning from Syria at the Masnaa border crossing, eastern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Displaced residents sit in traffic as they return to their villages following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ablah, eastern Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
UNIFIL peacekeepers secure the area in Khardali, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Displaced residents drive past destroyed buildings as they return to Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Hezbollah supporters celebrate as they return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese men carry a dead body retrieved from under the rubble of a destroyed house in Ainata village, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
An Israeli soldier stands on the top of a tank on an area near the Israeli-Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A damaged sign alerting a closed military area sits near the Israeli-Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A damaged Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) stands on an area near the Israeli-Lebanese border, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People hug each other upon their arrival at their building after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israel soldiers walk next to a damaged animal farm hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon in Avivim, northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Destroyed buildings stand in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A destroyed mosque in the town of Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A worker drives his vehicle past a mall that was damaged following a rocket attack fired from Lebanon during the night, hours before the start of the ceasefire, in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A woman carries a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as people celebrate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Ghazieh, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Displaced families carry mattresses as they prepare to return to their villages after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Burned cars hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon rest next to a synagogue in Avivim, northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman mourns holding a portrait of her grandson, a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in the fighting with Israeli troops, as she waits for rescuers to recover his body from under the rubble of a destroyed house, background, in Ainata village, south Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents returning from Syria sit in traffic as roadworks get underway to reopen the Masnaa border crossing, eastern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A rocket, fired from Lebanon during the night hours before the start of the ceasefire, sits wedged in the ground next to a damaged car in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People sit in traffic as they return to their villages after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Ghazieh, Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A man celebrates carrying a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A woman hugs her crying daughter as displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
People in a car return back to their villages with their belongings after a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, as they pass in front of a destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A woman carries a picture of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as she returns to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A man who is returning to his village waves as he carries his belongings on his car after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel began early morning, in Tyre, south Lebanon, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer price increases accelerated last month, the latest sign that inflation's steady decline over the past two years has stalled in recent months.
According to the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, consumer prices rose 2.3% in October from a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That is up from just 2.1% in September, though it is still only modestly above the Fed's 2% target.
Yet excluding the volatile food and energy categories, so-called “core” prices also picked up, climbing 2.8% last month from a year earlier, up from 2.7% in September. Economists closely watch core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.
Inflation has fallen sharply since it peaked at 7% in mid-2022, according to the Fed's preferred measure. Yet yearly core inflation has fluctuated between 2.6% and 2.8% since February. Price increases have remained elevated in services, including apartment rents, restaurant meals, and car and home insurance.
Wednesday's report also underscored that Americans' incomes and spending remained healthy, a key reason the economy has kept growing this year despite widespread fears of a slowdown. Incomes grew 0.6% from September to October, faster than economists had expected, while consumer spending rose by a solid 0.4% last month.
Solid growth and stubborn inflation, however, may keep Federal Reserve officials from cutting their key interest rate as quickly as they had signaled at their last meeting in September. Many economists now expect they will reduce their rate by a quarter-point in December, then delay further cuts while gauging the impact of the reductions they made this year.
President-elect Donald Trump's victory could also slow Fed rate cuts. His proposals to cut taxes and reduce government regulation could spur faster growth, but could also overheat the economy and lift inflation. And his threats to impose widespread tariffs, if carried out, would likely push up prices.
The Fed had signaled it would cut rates four times next year, but financial markets now expect just two reductions.
FILE - Shoppers reach for items on display in a Costco warehouse Nov. 19, 2024, in Lone Tree, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)