US inflation accelerated in March as the Iran war raised gasoline prices, bolstering financial market expectations that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates unchanged well into next year. The personal consumption expenditures price index jumped 0.7% last month, the largest gain since June 2022, after an unrevised 0.4% rise in February , the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Thursday. The increase was in line with economists’ expectations. In the 12 months through March, PCE inflation shot up 3.5%, the biggest rise since May 2023, after increasing 2.8% in February. The data was included in the advance first-quarter GDP report also published on Thursday. The average national retail gasoline price surged 24.1% in March, data from the US Energy Information Administration showed. AP The BEA has caught up on key data releases following delays caused by last year’s government shutdown.…