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ECONOMIC REPORT: CPI rises 0.6% on higher energy costs; Core retail-level inflation for March up 0.1%, below expectations
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:41 AM ET Apr 17, 2007

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumer prices increased 0.6% in March, the biggest increase since last April, led by energy costs, the Labor Department said Tuesday.
The core consumer price index, which excludes food and energy prices, increased 0.1% last month.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the CPI to rise 0.7% in March, after rising 0.4% in February. The core rate was expected to rise 0.2% for the second straight month.
In the past 12 months, the CPI has risen 2.8%, up from 2.4% in February. The core CPI is up 2.5% over the past year. This is above the Fed's presumed comfort zone. Fed officials have said higher inflation remains their predominant concern, although worries about a sharper-than-expected slowdown have increased over the past few months.
Energy prices rose 5.9% in March, which was the biggest monthly gain since September 2005. Gasoline prices increased 10.6%.
Transportation costs increased 2.8%, also on higher fuel costs. New car prices increased 0.3%, the first increase since last July.
These gains were partially offset by a sharp 1.0% drop in apparel prices.
Food prices also moderated in March, rising 0.3%, which was the smallest gain since December.
Housing costs increased 0.2%, with much of the gain coming from higher fuel bills. Lodging away from home fell 2.3%. Rents and ownership-equivalent rent both increased 0.3% .
Medical prices increased 0.1%, the smallest increase since August 2005. Physicians' services prices were flat and drug prices fell 0.4%.

8:30 AM ET

U.S. March Midwest starts up 44%
Starts, building permits slightly higher than expected
U.S. building permits down 26% year-on-year
U.S. housing starts down 23% year-on-year
U.S. March single-family starts up 2% to 1.22 mln
U.S. March building permits up 0.8% to 1.54mln
U.S. March housing starts up 0.8% to 1.52 mln

ECONOMIC REPORT: Housing starts, permits rise 0.8% in March
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch Last Update: 8:41 AM ET Apr 17, 2007

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Boosted by warmer weather, construction of new homes increased 0.8% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.518 million, the highest level this year, the Commerce Department estimated Tuesday.
Building permits also increased 0.8% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.544 million.
The figures were slightly higher than expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. The median estimate for housing starts was 1.50 million, while permits were expected to be at 1.52 million. See Economic Calendar.
Housing starts are down 23% from March 2006, while permits are off 26%.
The figures could show renewed optimism on the part of builders that they've seen the worst of the correction in the housing market. But the month-to-month figures are too unreliable to make firm judgments based on one month.
On Monday, the National Association of Home Builders reported that builder optimism sank in April, with builders warning that tighter lending standards for subprime loans could prolong the slump through 2008. See full story.
Economists said that favorable weather in March compared with February probably had a major impact on construction. While February was colder and wetter than usual, March was warmer and drier in much of the nation.
Starts in the Midwest surged 44%, the biggest gain in 16 years. Starts in other regions fell.
And the government cautioned that the monthly figures are unreliable. For housing starts, the standard error is so high that the reported figure could be off by as much as 11% either way.
It can take up to five months for a new trend in housing starts to be confirmed in the data. Over the past five months, starts have averaged 1.52 million annualized, about the same as in the five months ending in February.
Completions of new homes fell 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.63 million, an indication that builders are ramping down their inventories. It's the lowest number of completions since August 2003. It takes about 6 months for a home to go from groundbreaking to completion.
There were 1.2 million homes under construction in March, down 16% from the previous March.
Starts of single-family homes increased 2% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.22 million. Permits for single-family homes rose 1.4% to 1.11 million annualized.
In a separate report, the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 0.6% in March, while core prices rose just 0.1%. Both figures were below expectations.

U.S. March CPI energy prices up 5.9%, biggest since 9/05
U.S. CPI core up 2.5% in past 12 months
U.S. CPI up 2.8% in past 12 months
U.S. March CPI largest gain since April 2006
U.S. March core CPI up 0.1% vs. 0.2% expected
U.S. March CPI up 0.6% vs 0.7% expected