December inflation rose to 3% as GDP slowed, reinforcing the Fed’s decision to hold rates steady despite weaker growth data.

Several officials would have supported a statement by the Fed indicating that interest rates could rise if inflation remained high.

Many Federal Reserve officials want to see inflation fall further before they would support additional interest rate cuts this year, particularly if the job market continues to stabilize, minutes of l

The core PCE price index was expected to increase 3% from a year ago in December. GDP was projected to rise at a 2.5% pace in Q4.

Federal Reserve officials agreed that the U.S. economy expanded, consumer spending has been resilient, the unemployment rate steadied, and they expect inflation to continue ebbing, according to the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's meeting.

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Full-year economic growth at 2.2% is "a pretty strong number" that is high enough to raise concerns about persistent inflation and likely require tight monetary policy to hold back the economy,

US stocks slid on Friday as investors digested data showing US economic growth cooled to end last year, while a Federal Reserve-favored inflation gauge heated up. Wall Street also kept an eye out for US-Iran tensions,