In March 2025, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index in the United States, which excludes volatile sectors like food and energy and serves as the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of underlying inflation, remained steady compared to the previous month. This outcome defied forecasts that anticipated a slight rise. On an annual basis, the index increased by 2.6%, marking a deceleration from February's 3% surge, and representing the most modest uptick since March 2021.