One Eye on the Fed: March CPI Index

The following release from Bloomberg, updates the condition of inflation in the US economy, using data collected and massaged by the Fed and its cohorts. It's the official public information and is useful because most people will use this data to base decisions around, right or wrong. In addition, I am adding in a few charts from the Federal Reserve displaying inflation in different contexts.

Fed inflation hawks got no help this morning as consumer price inflation was essentially nonexistent for March. Overall CPI inflation for March nudged up to 0.1 percent from no change the prior month. The March rise matched the consensus forecast for a 0.1 percent increase. Core CPI inflation, however, eased to no change from up 0.1 percent in March and coming in just under expectations for a 0.1 percent gain. At the headline level, food prices rose moderately while energy costs were flat. The core was held down in part by declines in apparel and recreation and flat housing costs.