The U.S. annual inflation rate eased to 5.0 percent in March, down from 6.0 percent in February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This came in below economists’ expectations of 5.2 percent.
On a month-over-month basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1 percent, down from 0.4 percent.
The core inflation rate, which excludes the volatile energy and food sectors, climbed to 5.6 percent year over year, up from 5.5 percent. The core CPI jumped 0.4 percent from February to March, down from 0.5 percent.
Services inflation, which has been stubbornly high, also eased to 7.3 percent, down from 7.6 percent, and is the lowest number in four months….