The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.9% on a year-over-year basis in March, up from a 1.5% increase in February. Energy prices decreased 1.2% in March, following a larger decline in February (-5.7%), as downward pressure from gasoline prices eased and prices for natural gas and fuel oil grew. Excluding energy, the CPI rose 2.2% year over year. Prices increased year over year in all eight major components. The transportation index (+1.9%) drove the all-items CPI increase, as gasoline prices declined less in March than in February. The year-over-year decline in energy prices slowed in March. Gasoline prices declined ... (full story)