April Consumer Price Index Unchanged

The consumer price index was unchanged in April, though prices excluding food and fuel rose, the Labor Department said Friday.

The -called core CPI excluding food and energy rose 0.3% for the month, Labor said.

The CPI had risen 0.1% in March and prices from a year ago through April fell 0.7%, the biggest downturn since 1955. Core prices for the 12 months rose 1.9%.

The unchanged level for April matched economists’ forecasts, Bloomberg reported.

The CPI is the government’s broadest gauge of costs for goods and services. Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services.

If consumer prices are climbing, it could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases the demand for trucking services.