US inflation unchanged at 2.4 percent

Core inflation in February was 2.5 percent, unchanged and in line with the average forecast among analysts. Core inflation excludes food and energy prices.

The inflation report for February comes ahead of the publication of the so-called PCE inflation for January on Friday.

PCE inflation is normally seen by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) as the most important measure of price increases, but lags behind CPI inflation. The Fed's inflation target is 2 percent.