The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday will issue its March update to the consumer price index, or CPI. The CPI is the department’s tool for measuring inflation in a basket of goods and services that the average American would buy — ranging from eggs and milk to cell phones and unleaded gasoline."

Economists consider two versions of the CPI data: The headline print that includes all prices consumers face, and a so-called core CPI that excludes often volatile food and energy price fluctuations."

The White House says it anticipates a wider-than-normal disparity between the headline and core CPI readings because of an abnormal increase in gasoline prices that occurred in March. The price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline hit a record high of $4.33 on March 11, according to the American Automobile Association."

That price has since slid to $4.11 a gallon, according to AAA."