Higher gas and rents keep US inflation elevated, likely delaying Fed rate cuts

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer inflation remained persistently high last month, boosted by gas, rents, auto insurance and other items, the government said Wednesday in a report that will likely give pause to the Federal Reserve as it considers how often — or even whether — to cut interest rates this year.

Prices outside the volatile food and energy categories rose 0.4% from February to March, the same accelerated pace as in the previous month. Measured from a year earlier, these core prices are up 3.8%, unchanged from the year-over-year rise in February. The Fed closely tracks core prices because they tend to provide a good read of where inflation is headed.

Wednesday’s figures represent a disappointment for the White House. Republican critics of President Joe Biden have sought to pin the blame for high prices on the president and use it as a cudgel to derail his