Consumer Price Index Gains 0.3% in March

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in March, led by higher fuel and food prices, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The inflation gauge followed a flat reading in February. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2%.

Both the CPI and the core reading matched economists’ had 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.