Xinhua
12 Mar 2025

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. consumer inflation in February increased 2.8 percent from a year ago, after rising 2.9 percent in December and 3.0 percent in January, the U.S. Labor Department reported Wednesday.

According to the report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a broad measure of goods and services costs across the U.S. economy, increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in February after rising 0.4 percent in December and 0.5 percent in January.

Despite the overall data cooling slightly, egg prices increased 10.4 percent month-over-month and 58.8 percent year-over-year, reflecting an unresolved egg shortage in the United States.

U.S. egg prices continued to surge due to a shortage of egg-laying hens amid an outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, adding continued pressure to the inflationary landscape.

The latest inflation report showed that the so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy, grew 0.2 percent in February, following a 0.4 percent rise in January.

The core CPI rose 3.1 percent over the last 12 months ending February, down from a growth of 3.3 percent in January, signaling continuous inflationary pressure.

Indexes that increased over the last month included medical care, used cars and trucks, household furnishings and operations, recreation, apparel, and personal care. The indexes for airline fares and new vehicles were among the few major indexes that decreased in February.

Observers believe policies such as widespread tariff hikes under President Donald Trump's administration could further raise inflation.

The Federal Reserve will hold its second monetary policy meeting of the year on March 18-19. According to the latest data from the CME FedWatch Tool, the market expects a 97 percent probability that the Fed will keep interest rates unchanged in March.