For Current And Historical Material In This — 2003-04-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The March level of 184.2 (1982-84=100) was 3.0 percent higher than in March 2002. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.6 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March level of 180.3 was 3.2 percent higher than in March 2002. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.3 percent in March, following an increase of 0.6 percent in February. Energy costs again rose sharply--up 4.6 percent in March--and accounted for over 90 percent of the advance in the overall CPI-U. Within energy, the index for petroleum- based energy advanced 4.3 percent and the index for energy services increased 5.0 percent. The index for food rose 0.2 percent in March, following a 0.7 percent rise in February.