MW: U.S. consumer price index unchanged in February
By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer prices were unchanged on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, with falling energy prices offsetting increases in prices of cars, medical care and food, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had predicted the flat reading on the consumer price index. The core CPI - which excludes food and energy prices - rose 0.1%, also as expected. In the past year, the CPI has risen 2.1%. The core rate is up 1.3% in the past year, the smallest year-over-year increase in six years. Shelter prices were unchanged last month. Energy prices fell 0.5%, while food prices rose 0.1%.
