Stable natural gas prices were not enough to offset spikes in other energy costs in March, pushing the government’s measure of energy prices higher for the first time in a year.

The U.S. Department of Labor said the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased at a rate of 3.5% in the 12-month period through March. That was up from 3.2% the prior month.

U.S. inflation has been cooling since an energy price shock in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 sent U.S. inflation that year to a 40-year high of 9.1%. Lingering supply chain snarls and other problems imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic’s fallout also contributed.

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The war...