Personal incomes in the United States fell by $18.2 billion in February as inflation maintained a seasonally adjusted rate of 3%, the BEA reports.

Inflation would be a lot closer to the Federal Reserve's goal of a 2% annual rate if the stock market wasn't doing so well, according to a new analysis.

The Federal Reserve awaits reports on the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.

Some goods and services prices are not directly observed and must be indirectly derived for measuring inflation. This nonmarket-based inflation category has been an important factor keeping headline inflation elevated over the past two years.

By Balazs Koranyi and Howard Schneider FRANKFURT/WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - The world's central bankers may be attempting the impossible: to get into the psyche of business executives, labour unions and ordinary households in real time to understand how they are navigating their finances through yet another energy shock.

The core Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 3% over 12 months through February, remaining above the Federal Reserve's 2% target for nearly five years.

The latest government release, echoed across major financial outlets, put the month-on-month PCE increase at roughly 0.4%. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the PCE price index rose 0.4% in February and the 12‑month change moved up to about 2.

U.S. electricity prices have largely kept pace with inflation in recent years, while the share of household spending devoted to electricity remains near an all-time low, according to new analysis from the Lawrence Berkeley National