US wholesale prices ticked up 0.1 per cent in February
Posted March 13, 2019 5:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale prices barely increased last month after falling for three straight months, a sign there is little inflation pressure in the economy.
The Labor Department says the producer price index — which measures price changes before they reach the consumer — rose 0.1 per cent in February. It slipped 0.1 per cent in January. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, core producer prices also rose 0.1 per cent. Wholesale prices increased 1.9 per cent from a year earlier, and core prices rose 2.5 per cent.
Despite an unemployment rate near a five-decade low and faster wage growth, inflation is tame. The consumer price index, released Tuesday, increased just 1.5 per cent in February from a year ago. Mild inflation is a major reason the Federal Reserve has paused its interest rate hikes.
Christopher Rugaber, The Associated Press
