Consumer Prices Rise as Gasoline Prices Jump

- The Consumer Price Index for March rose .4% versus estimates of a .4% gain and a .1% rise in February.
- The CPI Ex Food & Energy for March rose .3% versus estimates of a .2% increase and a .1% gain in February.

BOTTOM LINE: Prices paid by American consumers rose in March as the cost of gasoline jumped, Bloomberg reported. Consumer prices were up 3.4% for the 12 months ended in March compared with a 3.6% y-o-y rise the prior month. Gasoline costs rose 3.6%, while natural gas prices fell 4.3% in March. I expect consumer prices to decelerate throughout most of year-end as consumer spending falls back to average levels.