U.S. March CPI 3.3% YoY, Q1 average inflation accelerates to 0.4% monthly

U.S. 12-month CPI inflation for March stood at 3.3% (up from 2.4% year-earlier), while core CPI softened to 2.6%. Energy volatility from Middle East strife lifted Q1 average inflation to 0.4% monthly from 0.2% in Q4 2025.