CPI Unchanged in February

The consumer price index was unchanged in February, the Labor Department said Friday.

The inflation gauge followed a 0.4% gain in January. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy, also showed no change, Labor said.

Economists had forecast the CPI to rise 0.3% and the core level to rise 0.2%, 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.