The March Personal Consumption Expenditures price index is forecast to show a mixed picture of inflation trends, potentially reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s resolve to hold off on interest rate hikes. Analysts expect the overall PCE Price Index to rise slightly on a year-over-year basis to 2.6% from 2.5% in February, according to FactSet. However, they also predict the index’s month-over-month change will fall to 0.30% from 0.33%. When volatile food and energy costs are factored out, economists forecast the core PCE inflation index to rise 2.7%, down slightly from a 2.8% year-over-year increase in February. ... (full story)