Svmuu News: U.S. core inflation slowed in February compared to the previous month, indicating that price pressures had eased before the outbreak of the Iran war. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday showed that the core CPI, excluding food and energy, rose 0.2% from January, with a year-on-year increase of 2.5%, unchanged from the previous month, marking the slowest growth rate in nearly five years. The overall CPI rose 0.3% from January and increased 2.4% year-on-year. After persistent inflation for most of last year, inflation has generally shown a downward trend in recent months. However, the Iran war has reignited inflation concerns, as the conflict has driven up the costs of oil, gasoline, and fertilizers, potentially exacerbating cost-of-living pressures for American households ahead of the midterm elections this year. Federal Reserve officials are expected to keep interest rates unchanged at their meeting next week. With the war likely to push inflation higher in the short term, some investors now believe the Fed may keep rates higher for longer. Nevertheless, officials must also pay attention to the remaining vulnerabilities in the labor market. (Jin10)