Inflation picked up for a fourth straight month in January amid another rise in in food and energy costs, possibly setting the stage for a year of halting progress in the battle to slow consumer price increases as President Donald Trump rolls out myriad import tariffs.

Inflation picked up at a higher pace than expected in January, leaving the Federal Reserve playing a waiting game to see the impact of tariffs and other policies on price pressures.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the latest consumer price data show that while the central bank has made substantial progress toward taming inflation, there is still more work to do.