The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% in March, in line with estimates, and the core rate, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.2%, matching expectations. Energy jumped 1.9% and is up 17% from a year ago, while food slowed to a more comfortable 0.2% and is up 4.4% versus last year.
Housing Starts in March fell 11.9% to an annual rate of 947,000 units, and the forward-looking building permits slid 5.8% to 927,000 units. Housing starts and building permits are at the lowest levels since early 1991.
Industrial production rose 0.3% in March, better than the estimate of a 0.1% decline, as production at utilities jumped 1.9%. High-tech production was also strong. Ex-high tech and energy, production was unchanged. Capacity utilization rose from 80.3% to 80.5%, just above estimates of 80.3%.
More from Bloomberg....
