Annual inflation ticked up for a third straight month in December as food, energy costs rose, CPI report showed. But underlying price measure eased.

Inflation moved up for a third month in a row, rising two-tenths of a percentage point to 2.9% for the year ending in December, adding to signs that the Federal Reserve may have to keep interest rates higher for longer.

Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 2.9 percent in December from a year ago, the highest since July, up from 2.7 percent in November. It was the third straight increase after inflation fell to a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4 percent in September.