U.S. consumer prices were flat in April as households paid less for gasoline and natural gas, the government reported Tuesday. The Commerce Department said its consumer price index (CPI) was unchanged last month after rising 0.3 percent in March. The April figure was in line with economist expectations. CPI was limited last month by a 2.6 percent drop in gasoline prices. Natural-gas prices fell 1.8 percent, and costs for fuel oil also declined. Food prices climbed 0.2 percent. Excluding the volatile energy and food categories, inflation pressures were modest in April. So-called core CPI rose 0.2 percent, matching the increase seen in March. Rising gasoline prices have pushed overall inflation higher than core inflation in recent years. April was the first month since October 2009 that the 12-month inflation reading did not exceed the measure of core inflation. Consumer prices rose 2.3 percent in the 12 months ending in April, down from the year-over-year reading of 2.7 percent in March. Core CPI increased 2.3 percent in the 12 months ending in April, the same pace seen in March.
