U.S. consumer sentiment in early February unexpectedly declined to its lowest level in more than a decade, due to fears that rising levels of inflation would persist in the near term, according to a survey from the University of Michigan. The university report, which was released on Feb. 11, saw the consumer sentiment index tumble to 61.7 in February, from 67.2 percent in January, hitting its lowest level since October 2011. The economists in the survey had expected the index to rise to 67.5 percent. The news followed a January report showing consumer prices recorded their largest annual increase in 40 years at 7.5 percent, which prompted markets to price in a 50 basis points interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve for March. The current economic conditions index slid to 68.5 in February from 72 percent in January, the lowest since August 2011, while the index of consumer expectations …