Deflation is Here

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The latest economic news:

For the first time since 1955, prices fell from the same month a year earlier, reflecting a stark drop in the cost of gasoline and automobiles. Overall, consumers paid 0.4 percent less for a range of goods and services last month than they did in March 2008.

The Labor Department reported that its consumer price index fell 0.1 percent in March from February as lower consumer demand for a range of goods and services kept a lid on rising prices.

The party line on this is that it’s not too big a deal because the decline was mostly centered on energy-related products and services. Maybe so. But I wouldn’t bet the ranch on it quite yet.