The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that United States import prices rose the most in nearly four years in February as energy costs jumped in anticipation of conflict in the Middle East, adding to signs that inflation may accelerate in the coming months. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that Import prices rose 1.3 per cent last month, the largest increase since March, 2022, following an upwardly revised 0.6-per-cent gain in January, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Reuters forecasted import prices, which exclude tariffs, rising 0.5 per cent after a previous 0.2-per-cent gain in January. Over the 12 months through February, import prices grew by 1.3 per cent. This was the largest year-on-year increase since February, 2025, following a 0.3-per-cent rise in January. Brean Capital's John Ryding says, "Having not been a factor in the inflation story recently, import prices are beginning to be an issue ahead of the surge in fuel prices that is to be expected in March with the conflict with Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz." The government last week reported that producer prices rose by the most in seven months in February.