Input Stories

Consumer prices fell 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, following a 0.2% increase in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today.

The details: Over the past 12 months ending in March, the index for all consumer items rose 2.4% before seasonal adjustment, a slower pace than the 12 months ending in February, which saw a 2.8% rise.

Core CPI: The so-called core CPI, or prices excluding food and energy, also slowed, coming in at a 0.1% increase in March after rising 0.2% in February.

Food and energy: For these two volatile sectors, energy prices declined while food prices rose.

• “The index for energy fell 2.4% in March, as a 6.3% decline in the index for gasoline more than offset increases in the indexes for electricity and natural gas,” according to BLS.
• Meanwhile, the food index ticked up 0.4% for the month.