To the surprise of many forecasters, the core rate of inflation, excluding prices for food and energy, slowed to an annual rate of just 1.1percentt last year.
By contrast, the core rate of inflation, measuring prices for goods other than food and energy, fell at a 1.1percentt annual pace in the June-through-August period.
The so-called core rate of inflation was 0.3% for January, half the overall rate.
Outside the volatile energy and food categories, the core rate of inflation in April rose for the second consecutive month by 0.1percentt, also matching many analysts' forecasts.
These include measures of inflation persistence, the natural rate of unemployment, a core rate of inflation, and 'activism coefficients' for monetary policy rules.
Even stripping out energy and food, the core rate of consumer prices still rose 0.2 percent for a third consecutive month.
The core rate of inflation, excluding volatile food and energy prices, was flat for the month.
(The core rate has been below the headline rate for a while.
In a tacit acknowledgment of some critics, Mr. Bernanke also announced that the Fed's forecasts would include the overall rate of inflation, not just the core rate that excludes volatile prices for food and energy.
