Consumer Price Index Falls for First Time in Four Months

The consumer price index fell 0.2% in March, the first decline in four months, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The government’s main inflation gauge decreased after a 0.7% rise in February, the Labor Department said.

Economists had forecast no change in the CPI, Bloomberg News reported.

The core CPI rate, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.1%, lower than economists’ forecast of a 0.2% rise, Bloomberg reported.

Almost 60% of the CPI covers prices consumers pay for services. Climbing consumer prices could reflect an increase in demand for consumer goods, which increases demand for trucking services.