Consumer prices rose 2.4% annually in February, as expected

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNBC

Published Wed, Mar 11 2026 8:31 AM EDT Updated 20 Min Ago


Prices consumers pay for a broad range of goods and services rose in line with expectations for February, offering a final look at inflation pressures before an oil shock tied to the Iran war rattled the outlook.

The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.3% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.4%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. Both numbers matched the Dow Jones consensus forecast.

Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, core CPI posted a 0.2% monthly reading and 2.5% annual rate, compared to forecasts for 0.2% and 2.5%, also in line with the estimates.

The annual rates were unchanged from January, indicating that inflation was holding above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target but not getting worse. While the report showed inflation broadly stable, prices rose modestly for shelter and services while several goods categories, including used vehicles and auto insurance, saw declines.



Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/11/cpi-inflation-report-february-2026.html

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From the source -

Link to tweet

BLS-Labor Statistics
@BLS_gov
CPI for all items rises 0.3% in February; shelter up #BLSData #CPI https://bls.gov/news.release/a
rchives/cpi_03112026.htm
8:30 AM · Mar 11, 2026

Article updated.

Previous article -

Published Wed, Mar 11 2026 8:31 AM EDT Updated 5 Min Ago


Prices consumers pay for a broad range of goods and services rose in line with expectations for February, offering a final look at inflation pressures before an oil shock tied to the Iran war rattled the outlook.

The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.3% for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.4%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. Both numbers matched the Dow Jones consensus forecast.

Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, core CPI posted a 0.2% monthly reading and 2.5% annual rate, compared to forecasts for 0.2% and 2.5%, also in line with the estimates. The annual rates were unchanged from January, indicating that inflation was holding above the Federal Reserve's 2% target but not getting worse.

While the report showed inflation broadly stable, prices rose modestly for shelter and services while several goods categories, including used vehicles and auto insurance, saw declines.


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Original article -

Published Wed, Mar 11 2026 8:31 AM EDT


The consumer price index in February was expected to show a 2.4% increase from a year ago, according to the Dow Jones consensus.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

[groundloop]

1. This data is from BLS so I don't trust it......my grocery receipts tell a different story.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. I think I'll start drinking for the day.

It has to be 5:00 p.m. in Moscow.

[modrepub]

7. Agree But

This data is extremely outdated since Trump started this special operation in Iran. Gas prices shot up over $1/ gallon in my neck of the woods (I got an EV in September because I got tired of repeatedly getting kicked in the in Jimmies every time something in the Middle East happened).

And I’d say government statistics always gloss over the problems. At one point in the past steak was one item on the tracking list. That was switched out to hamburger since BLS reasoned most folks would substitute cheaper items in their grocery carts. Well we do but you’re not really gauging inflation if you’re constantly switching out expensive items with cheaper ones when your doing your calculations.

[BeyondGeography]

2. And then Iran happened

[OrlandoDem2]

3. Still above the 2% the Fed prefers. And doesn't include data since the start of Trump's Iran war.

[GreenWave]

5. It used to be divide or multiply by 10.

E.G. If a demonstration is in favor of the gummint divide by 10, if against multiply by 10. When I was in Chicago , the lying newspaper came out and said we were 5,000. However the streets were flooded and more likely 500,000. Madison alone sent tens of thousands. We estimated by sports stadium size.

So this current 2 could be 20 with the oops explanation, we forgot the zero!

[progree]

6. Hot and rising inflation according to the 3 month rolling average graphs. Both CPI and core CPI are at 3.0% annualized

and rising. As expected.

I'll add more info later after I read the news summary https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm

CPI data series: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0

Core CPI data series: http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0L1E

As always, I prefer to show everything annualized so as to compare to the Fed's 2% goal and to each other





The 12 month graphs in the OP look nice and tame and even trending down slightly. But they both benefit by hot January 2025 to February 2025 numbers dropping out of the 12-month window: regular CPI: 2.73% annualized, and core CPI: 3.10% annualized. For the trend, what drops out of the 12 month window is every bit as important as what enters the 12-month window


Percent increases, seasonally adjusted numbers, ANNUALIZED
1 mo 3 mo 12mo
---- ---- ----
3.3% 3.0% 2.4% Regular CPI (includes food & energy)
2.6% 3.0% 2.5% Core CPI (does not have food or energy)

2.0% 2.0% 2.0% Federal Reserve Target

As for the trend,

For the regular CPI, The 3-month average increase (annualized) was at a local low of 2.2% in November but is now at 3.0%

For the core CPI, The 3-month average increase (annualized) was at a local low of 1.6% in November but is now at 3.0%

All of this is before any Iran effects of course.

And in March, the 12-month average is not helped at all by what drops out of the 12-month window: just a very small 0.40% annualized for the regular CPI, and an also very small 0.83% annualized for the core CPI.