U.S. inflation ticked higher in November while core price pressures held at multiyear lows, potentially completing the picture for the Federal Reserve's end-of-year interest-rate decision next week. The Commerce Department said its headline Consumer Price Index for November was pegged at an annual rate of 2.

One metric to watch in the CPI data is the year-over-year core CPI, which will play a key role in the outlook for Federal Reserve interest-rate policy, said Brett Kenwell, U.S. investment analyst at e Toro.

Consumer inflation accelerated in November to 2.7% from 2.6% and core CPI was sticky at 3.3%. But a December Fed rate cut still looks like a sure thing.