US EditionInstant View: February Inflation in Line with Expectations as Iran War Overshadows Last Month's Data
Core inflation rose 0.2% in February, keeping the rate above the Federal Reserve's 2% target despite modest shelter cost increases, BLS data shows.
- On March 11, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported U.S. consumer prices rose 2.4% year‑over‑year in February and increased 0.3% from last month.
- Higher food and energy costs contributed, with the food index up 0.4%, food at home rising 0.8%, and the energy index for fuel jumping 11% month-to-month while core inflation stayed above the Federal Reserve's 2% target.
- Stocks reacted as the Dow fell 1%, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dropped 0.5% and 0.3%, the dollar index rose 0.4%, and Mark Zandi said, 'I don't get any sense that inflation is decelerating'.
- Policymakers face a split over keeping rates near 3.6%, with Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, saying 'I think the Fed sits on its hands and doesn't move', as rising prices may slow U.S. consumers' spending.
- Because the report was compiled before U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran, Moody's warns energy shocks are not reflected, and CPI may be nearer to 2.7%.
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25 Articles
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Peso slides as US data bolster hawkish Fed bets - BusinessWorld Online
THE PESO depreciated further against the dollar on Thursday as the latest US consumer price index (CPI) data heightened expectations that the US Federal Reserve will keep rates steady at its meeting next week. The local unit dropped by 21.5 centavos to close at P59.385 against the greenback from its P59.17 finish on Wednesday, data from the Bankers Association of the Philippines showed. The peso opened Thursday’s trading session sharply weaker a…
USA & Canada Intelligence Brief — March 11, 2026
What Matters Today 1 US February CPI holds at 2.4% — in line with expectations; core steady at 2.5%; but analysts call it “the calm before the storm” as Iran war oil shock has not yet hit the data; Fed expected to hold through September — the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the […]
February inflation breakdown: Where are prices rising and falling the fastest?
The latest inflation data from the Labor Department showed that price increases continued at a steady pace in February, though some items saw notable price hikes or declines.The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.4% from a year ago in February, a figure that was in line with the expectations of economists polled by LSEG and unchanged from January's reading.Core CPI inflation – a figure which excludes vola…
Consumer prices in the United States, as measured by the CPI index, rose 2.4 percent year-on-year in February, the same as in January. The annual inflation rate is thus in line with analysts' expectations, reports the French news agency AFP. It is also the lowest level since May last year.
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