The Consumer Price Index increased 0.1% in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.4% in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 5.0 percent before seasonal adjustment.
Prices for all items less food and energy, the “core CPI,” rose 0.4% in February, after increasing 0.5% in February.
The food index remained unchanged in March, after rising 0.4% in February. The index for food at home fell 0.3% over the month, after rising 0.3% in February. In March, the increase was attributed to a rise in Three of the six major grocery store food group indexes decreased over the month. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs decreased 1.4% in March as the index for eggs fell 10.9%. The index for cereals and bakery products rose 0.6% over the month. The food away from home index rose 0.6% in March, as it did in the previous 2 months. The food at home index rose 8.4% over the last 12 months.
The energy index fell 3.5% in March after decreasing 0.6% in February. The gasoline index decreased 4.6% in March, following a 1.0% increase in the previous month. The fuel oil index (not seasonally adjusted) declined 14.2% in March.
Read the BLS release.
