Inflation gauge increased 0.4% in February, as expected and up 6% from a year ago
Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased 0.5% in February and 5.5% on a 12-month basis.
Below is an instruction that describes a task. Write a response that appropriately completes the request.

### Instruction: Inflation gauge increased 0.4% in February, as expected and up 6% from a year ago

### Response: Excluding volatile food and energy prices, core CPI increased 0.5% in February and 5.5% on a 12-month basis.