We hear from many experts trying to beat the market. Today, the man who's warned for half a century that it can't be done.

I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. First, we'll get a look today at how conflict in the Middle East blocking oil shipments and raising energy prices is shaping U.S. inflation.

Marketplaces Nancy Marshall-Genzor is watching for the March

Consumer Price Index. The overall inflation rate will rise by 1% according to Pantheon macroeconomics,

driven mostly by an expected 23% spike in gas prices. Goldman Sachs economists predict higher

oil prices pushed up airfares by 4%. They expect an

overall inflation rate of almost 3.5% for March, and they think energy prices will shoot up again

this month, bringing headline CPI inflation to about 4% for April. I'm Nancy Marshall Genser

for Marketplace.

To be clear, the big route for oil, the Strait of Hormuz is still closed, and oil is up slightly this morning.

9786 a barrel, it was $67 before the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran.

Stock index futures are little changed ahead of that inflation data. Today's my last day hosting the Marketplace Morning Report here.

But first, a last interview.

I thought why not catch up with the author of what is arguably the most influential book on personal finance and investing of all time.

First published in 1973,

a random walk down Wall Street argues that it's super hard to beat the stock market. Its author,

Burton Malkiel, Princeton Professor Emeritus, is still at it at 93. He joins us from New Jersey.

Dr. Malkiel, welcome. Delighted to be with you. Thirteen editions of Random Walk. I have my dog-eared copy. I gave a gift of your book to my kids

when they were starting out. But for those new to it, Professor, you make the case that what?

It's pretty darn hard to beat the market averages by picking individual stocks.

This was my thesis over 50 years ago when the book first came out.

It was not really accepted at that time.

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