Price rises in the world’s biggest economy slowed to an annual rate of 5.0% in March – the lowest in nearly two years and down from 6.0% the previous month. The fall which was the ninth in a row, was driven by lower energy prices. Last June US inflation peaked at a 40-year-high of 9.1% but has dropped amid the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hiking campaign. However inflation remains well above the 2% target so the US central bank is still expected to raise interest rates further next month.