US consumer sentiment perks up in early January

WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment perked up in early January, but households continued to worry about inflation and a ?weakening labor market, a survey showed on ?Friday.

The University of Michigan's Surveys of ?Consumers said its Consumer ?Sentiment Index ?increased to 54.0 this month from a ?final reading of 52.9 ?in December. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the ?index rising to ?53.5.

"Although ?consumers' worries about tariffs appear to be gradually receding, they remain guarded ?about the overall strength of business conditions and labor markets," Joanne Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers, said in a ?statement. "They ?continue to be focused primarily on kitchen table issues, like ?high prices and softening labor markets."?

The survey's measure of consumer expectations for inflation over the next year was unchanged at 4.2% this month. Consumers' expectations ?for inflation over the next five years increased to 3.4% from 3.2% last month.

(Reporting by ?Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )