U.S. stocks opened higher Wednesday as investors digest fresh data showing headline inflation eased in March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA was up 0.4% soon after the bell, while the S&P 500 SPX gained 0.5% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite COMP rose 0.7%, according to FactSet data, at last check. Inflation, as measured by the consumer-price index, rose 0.1% in March for a year-over-year rate of 5%, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday. That’s down from 6% in the 12 months through February. Core CPI, which excludes energy and food prices, increased 0.4% last month. The core rate rose 5.6% over the past 12 months, edging up from a 5.5% year-over-year rate in February.
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