Inflation Holds Steady, But Iran War Threatens to Boost Prices

Annual inflation held steady last month. But what comes next, now that the U.S. is fighting a war in Iran, is the question on everyone's mind.

Consumer prices rose 2.4% in February from a year earlier, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. That compared with 2.4% in January and was even with what economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected.

Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items, rose 2.5% from a year earlier, in line with expectations.