U.S. consumer prices fell 0.1% in March from a month ago and declined 0.4% from a year ago, the first annual drop in more than 54 years, the government said on April 15.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the consumer price index (CPI), a measure of the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households, decreased 0.1% in March after rising 0.4% in February, according to Labor Department data.
The decrease, it said, was due to a downturn in energy prices, which declined 3% in March after rising 3.3% the previous month.
The department also said that prices in March had decreased 0.4% from a year ago, "the first 12 month decline since August 1955."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
About the Author
Agence France-Presse
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2002-2025. AFP text, photos, graphics and logos shall not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP shall not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP content, or for any actions taken in consequence.