US inflation hits 3.3% in March 2026 amid Iran blockade
Business
Inflation in the US is heating up again, hitting 3.3% in March 2026, the highest since 2024.
This jump is mostly due to ongoing tensions between the US Israel, and Iran, with the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz making everyday goods more expensive.
Federal Reserve must balance inflation, jobs
Even after a recent ceasefire eased oil prices a bit, they're still high and causing economic uncertainty.
The US did add 178,000 jobs last month (bringing unemployment down to 4.3%), but with the GDP for the last quarter of 2025 revised from 1.4% to 0.5% and prices up, the Federal Reserve now has to figure out how to cool inflation without hurting job gains, a tricky balancing act everyone's watching closely.