Consumer Prices Rise in March, Meet Forecasts

Washington, DC, April 16, 2008— Consumer prices rose last month as increases in energy, food and airline tickets offset the biggest drop in clothing prices in years.

The Labor Department said that consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in March after being unchanged in February.

Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2 percent in March. All numbers matched analysts forecasts.

Over the past year, inflation is up by 4 percent, due to increases in energy costs, which are up 17 percent over that period, and food prices, which are up 4.4 percent.