Inflation hits record of 5% in 19 countries using the euro

Consumer prices in the 19 countries that use the euro currency hit a record high of 5% in December compared with a year earlier.The rise was led by a surge in energy prices, according numbers released Friday by the European Union’s statistical office.Inflation is now at the highest level in the eurozone since recordkeeping began in 1997 and broke a record set in November.Soaring prices are compounding problems for European Central Bank policymakers who have been keeping interest rates at u