Supply chain pressures heated up in March to levels last seen at the start of 2023, data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said on Monday. In its latest Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, the bank said that the measure rose to 0.68, a modest rise from the 0.54 seen in February. A reading of zero indicates normal levels of supply pressures, with a positive number denoting mounting pressure. March compares to the 1.09 reading last seen in January 2023, when supply chain pressures were abating. The New York Fed did not provide any reason for the rise in the March reading, but it is almost certainly related to disruptions tied to the war in the Middle East that was started by the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.