Has inflation finally peaked?

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business' Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. New York CNN — It may be a new year. But for investors, consumers and the Federal Reserve, inflation remains a major economic concern, just as it was in 2022. With that in mind, Wall Street will intensely scrutinize the December Consumer Price Index data for December that is set to be released Thursday. The hope is that the pace of price increases will continue to slow. Consumer prices rose 7.1% year over year through November. That…