[The New York Times: Oil Prices Are Just the Beginning; US Inflation Is Spreading to More Sectors] A New York Times reporter wrote that when inflation first began to rise this spring, economists held a relatively optimistic view, believing that the price increases were mainly driven by energy prices, and there were no clear signs that the upward pressure on prices was spreading to other sectors of the economy. However, in recent months, this situation has changed significantly. Over the past three months, US consumer prices, excluding energy prices, have risen at an annualized rate of 3.6%.