U.S. Consumer Prices Rose 0.4% In February - Less Than Expected

U.S. consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in February, primarily due to rising gasoline prices, the U.S. Labor Department announced Friday. That stat was slightly below the 0.5 percent Bloomberg News consensus estimate.

Excluding those often-volatile food and energy prices, the core rate rose just 0.1 percent, below the 0.3 percent consensus estimate.

Consumer prices have risen 2.9 percent in the past 12 months, and the core rate has increased just 2.2 percent in the same period.

Details to follow.