US: Annual core CPI ticks down to 2% in March vs 2.1% expected

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation, as measured by the core Consumer Price Index, rose 2% on a yearly basis in March to fall short of the market expectation of 2.1%.

Key takeaways from the press release

• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent   in March on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.2 percent in February.
•  The all items index increased 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending March, a  larger increase than the 1.5-percent rise for the period ending February.
• The energy index increased 3.5 percent in March, accounting for about 60  percent of the seasonally adjusted all items monthly increase.
• The index for all items less food and energy increased 0.1 percent in March,  the same increase as in February.