Data released just moments ago from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that U.S. personal income rose by $194.7 billion in February, up 0.8% from 0.9% in January. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE), rose 0.3%, but remained unchanged at 2.5% on an annual basis, as expected.
The closely watched index, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.4% month-over-month in February, up from 0.3% in January, exceeding expectations and rising to 2.8% on an annual basis, from 2.7% in January.