The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, April 16, edition that Americans spent more in March than expected despite inflation. An Associated Press dispatch to The Globe reports that inflation has remained stubborn, lifted last month by higher prices for gasoline, rents, auto insurance and other items, new data showed last week. That as well the strong retail sales report will likely delay a cut by the Federal Reserve to interest rates that many had anticipated at the next meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve's monetary policy-making arm in a couple of weeks. Prices outside the volatile food and energy categories rose 0.4 per cent from February to March, the same accelerated pace as in the previous month. Measured from a year earlier, these core prices are up 3.8 per cent, unchanged from the year-over-year rise in February. The Fed closely tracks core prices because they tend to provide a good barometer of where inflation is headed. Some economists, however, expect spending to moderate owing to lessening optimism about economic prospects, still high costs of living and elevated borrowing costs. Moody's Ratings's Mickey Chadha says, "Purposeful consumers are postponing their major shopping decisions."