- Region:
- USA
- Category:
- Economy
US inflation rate falls to 5.0%, lowest in nearly two years
Consumer prices rose just 0.1% from February to March, down from 0.4% from January to February and the smallest increase since December
U.S. consumer prices barely rose in March as the cost of gasoline declined, but stubbornly high rents kept underlying inflation pressures simmering, likely ensuring that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again next month.
The annual CPI peaked at 9.1% in June, which was the biggest increase since November 1981, and is subsiding as last year's large rises drop out of the calculation. Inflation by all measures remains more than double the Fed's 2% target.