After months of downward trend, inflation held steady at an eight-month low in February. …Higher oil prices will likely translate into higher gasoline costs and impact other sectors associated with transportation including airline tickets. This renewed inflation concern would complicate Fed policy especially given the recent weaker-than-expected job report. Additionally, lingering effects from government shutdown will continue to suppress the shelter index through April. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.4% in February from a year ago, unchanged from January and matching the lowest level since May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) latest report. The “core” CPI, excluding the volatile food and energy components, increased by 2.5% over the past twelve months, also unchanged from January. The housing shelter index, which makes up a large portion of “core” CPI, rose 3.0% over the year, holding steady from last month.