U.S. core consumer prices increased at the largest pace in a year, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The core consumer price index-- the measure of retail-level inflation that excludes food and energy prices-- increased 0.3 percent last month, matching a 0.3 percent gain in March 2005, said the government report. Overall, consumer price inflation also picked up in March, rising 0.4 percent.

Policymakers at U.S. Federal Reserve believed last month that the end of its rate-raising campaign started June 2004 was probably close at hand, according to minutes of the central bank＊s meeting released on Tuesday.

World crude oil prices closed with record highs above 72 dollars Wednesday amid worries of supply in Iran and Nigeria, as U.S. energy stocks dropped.

At the closing time, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 10.00 points, or 0.09 percent, to end at 11,278.77. The Standard& Poor's 500 Index was up 2.28 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,309.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 14.74 points, or 0.63 percent, at 2,370.88. Enditem