US consumer sentiment rose for the first time in five months, bolstered by a more optimistic outlook for personal finances as inflation expectations improved. The preliminary December sentiment index rose to 53.3 from 51 a month earlier, according to the University of Michigan. The survey period includes responses from Nov. 18 to Dec. 1, following the end of the record-long federal government shutdown. Consumers expect prices to rise at an annual rate of 4.1% over the next year, down from a month earlier and the lowest since January, the report issued Friday showed. And they saw costs rising at an annual rate of 3.2% ... (full story)