U.S. labor costs increase 0.6 percent in the second quarter

WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - - U.S. labor costs rose steadily in the second quarter, pointing to still-moderate wage inflation, which could see the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates unchanged for a while. The Employment Cost Index, the broadest measure of labor costs, increased 0.6 percent after a similar gain in the first quarter, the Labor Department said on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the ECI rising 0.6 percent in the last quarter.