Inflation pace slows noticeably

Less expensive fuel and clothing, combined with small hikes in food prices, held the inflation rate to a moderate 0.5 percent in November, reports the US government. That translates into an annual inflation rate of 6.2 percent.

For the first 11 months of the year, the consumer price index - the key government measure of inflation - climbed 9.2 percent, Labor Department analysts said.

So the annual rate for 1981 will likely end up below 10 percent for the first time since 1978 and well below 1980's rate of 12.4 percent.