**[Federal Reserve Governor Waller Downplays "Energy Inflation" Threat, Fed Firmly Focused on Core Indicators]** Odaily Planet Daily News – Federal Reserve Governor Waller stated that he does not believe the Iran war will have a lasting impact on inflation. He pointed out that while consumers may experience a "sticker shock" due to rising gasoline prices, policymakers will look past any one-time price increases. In an interview on Friday, Waller said: "This is unlikely to lead to sustained inflation for us to consider in future policy. This is also one of the reasons we do not focus on energy prices. When we look at core indicators, they better predict future inflation." He was referring to inflation measures that exclude the more volatile energy and food prices. Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to keep interest rates unchanged for the second consecutive time during their meeting on March 17-18. Considering the labor market is stabilizing and inflation remains above the 2% target, officials have signaled that they can remain patient when considering further rate cuts. (Jin10)