The Producer Price Index for final demand advanced 0.3 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices also rose 0.3 percent in both October and September. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand moved up 7.4 percent for the 12 months ended in November. In November, most of the increase in the index for final demand is attributable to a 0.4-percent advance in prices for final demand services. The index for final demand goods inched up 0.1 percent. Prices for final demand less foods, energy, and trade services moved up 0.3 ... (full story)

Wholesale prices rose more than expected in November, dampening hopes that inflation could be headed lower, the Labor Department reported Friday. The producer price index, a measure of what companies get for their products in the pipeline, increased 0.3% for the month and 7.4% from a year ago. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 0.2% gain. Excluding food and energy, core PPI was up 0.4%, also against a 0.2% estimate. The release comes amid other signs that price increases at least were decelerating from a pace that had put inflation at its highest level in more than 40 years. However, the data ... (full story)