Inflation returning? Probably.

With inflation creeping back (the downturn was honestly too fast to be real and sustainable for a number of reasons), the Fed may revert to rate hikes.

(Bloomberg) -- Underlying US consumer prices rose in February by the most in five months, forcing a tough choice for Federal Reserve officials weighing still-rapid inflation against banking turmoil in their next interest-rate decision.

The consumer price index, excluding food and energy, increased 0.5% last month and 5.5% from a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data out Tuesday. Economists see the gauge — known as the core CPI — as a better indicator of underlying inflation than the headline measure.

This likely means a rate hike if not this month, then soon.