US inflation stabilizes as scheduled in February, while soaring energy prices may cause high fever in March data BlockBeats News: On March 11th, the US Department of Labor reported on Wednesday that the consumer price index rose 2.4% year-on-year in February. This data is consistent with January and meets the expectations of the interviewed economists. Excluding volatile food and energy items, the core price increased by 2.5% year-on-year, which is also in line with expectations. However, since the outbreak of the Iran conflict, the benchmark crude oil futures in the United States have fluctuated sharply, with an average trading price of about $82 per barrel so far this month, compared to an average price of about $65 in February. Therefore, the inflation data for March may be even hotter. RSM Chief Economist Joseph Brusuelas estimates that according to empirical rules, for every $10 increase in oil prices per barrel, the Labor Department's inflation reading will rise by about 0.2 percentage points. Although there are slight differences in the calculation details among different economists, most people believe that oil prices will push up inflation in March. Economists also believe that the current year-on-year inflation reading has been artificially suppressed due to the missing data on housing cost growth in October caused by last year's government shutdown. But this downward deviation should disappear in the inflation report for April, and the calculated inflation rate will then rebound. (Golden Ten)