Central Banks

US Inflation Gauge Seen Bolstering Fed Patience on Rates

  • Inflation readings due in Australia, France, Italy, and Spain
  • Riksbank may reveal rate hints; Nigeria could deliver big hike

Shoppers in the SoHo neighborhood of New York.

Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of underlying US inflation probably remained uncomfortably high in February, showing why central bankers are wary about cutting interest rates too soon.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which excludes food and energy costs, is seen rising 0.3% on the heels of its biggest monthly increase in a year. The overall measure is forecast to climb 0.4%, the most since September.