AP NewsWatch 2:30pm EDT

0:00I'm Ed Donahue with an AP News Minute. Stocks are higher, oil prices are lower, and there are some mixed messages on the economy. A key inflation measure jumped last month as gas prices soared. Consumer prices rose 0.7 percent from February. Compared with a year ago, they were up 3.5 percent. The biggest hike in nearly three years. Gas prices jumped nearly 21 percent in March from the previous month. It's the latest side, the Iran war is boosting living costs. In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation. Beyond that, the scope and duration of potential effects on the economy remain unclear. As does the future course of the conflict itself. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said yesterday the war is adding to economic uncertainty. The government says the economy did expand modestly in the first quarter, but the war is clouding the outlook. Saga, Megani, Washington, I'm Ed Donahue.