The U.S. annual inflation rate surged to 7.9 percent in February, matching the market estimate, new data show. Last month, the core inflation rate, which strips the volatile food and energy sectors, climbed 6.4 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This also met economists’ expectations. Both inflation measurements were up 0.4 percentage points from January. On a month-over-month basis, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.8 percent, while the core CPI eased to 0.5 percent. Like the January report, the latest 40-year-high inflation numbers were broad-based, with nearly everything up across the board. Many financial experts were not surprised by the figures. “There is little surprise about the rising inflation. For over the past year we have seen rising costs, some thought it was transitory due to COVID and others a more systemic issue. We are now seeing the compounding effect of the quickly increasing energy costs …