A closely watched inflation gauge used by U.S. policymakers cooled in March, signaling easing price pressures ahead of the April 2 tariff announcement, as consumers and businesses assessed the potential economic impact.
The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index rose 2.3% year-over-year, slowing from February’s upwardly revised 2.7% and just slightly above expectations of 2.2%. On a monthly basis, headline PCE was unchanged, a sharp deceleration from the 0.4% increase seen in February, and matching expectations.
Stripping out food and energy, core PCE, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, came in at 2.6% year-over-year, matching forecasts but down from February’s revised 3%.
On a monthly basis, core prices were flat, defying consensus for a 0.1% rise and cooling from the prior 0.4% surge.
Before the PCE report, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that first-quarter …