CPI for all items rises 0.9% in March; gasoline up
04/10/2026
In March, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.3 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.2 percent in March (SA); up 2.6 percent over the year (NSA).
Consumer prices up 2.4 percent over the year ended January 2026
The all items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 2.4 percent over the 12 months ending January 2026, after rising 2.7 percent for the year ending December 2025. A year earlier, in January 2025, the 12-month change in the all items index was 3.0 percent. [end quote]
https://www.wsj.com/economy/cpi-inflation-report-march-2026-bb353007?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_2
Inflation Soared to 3.3% in March, Driven by Higher Gasoline Costs
The reading, the first major inflation report since the Iran war began, came in at its hottest level in two years
By Konrad Putzier, The Wall Street Journal, Updated April 10, 2026
Gasoline prices
Energy prices jumped by 12.5% from a year earlier, a dramatic acceleration from 0.5% in February. Gasoline prices jumped 18.9% and fuel oil surged by 44.2%.
The cost of transportation services, which is affected by fuel costs, rose 4.1% from a year earlier in March, a much faster increase than in February.
Friday’s report offers the first snapshot of how the Iran war affected U.S. inflation. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz snarled shipping and sent the price of crude oil and gasoline surging last month…
Consumers became gloomier in recent weeks. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, also released Friday, fell to its lowest level on record. The initial April reading, of 47.6, was down almost 11% from the month before and well below last April, when the country was gripped by the Trump administration’s new tariff announcements… [end quote]
Not a pretty picture. No way will the Fed reduce the fed funds rate with inflation this high.
Wendy
