The Producer Price Index for final demand rose 0.5 percent in May, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Final demand prices advanced 0.1 percent in April and 0.3 percent in March. (See table A.) On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index moved up 3.1 percent for the 12 months ended in May, the largest 12-month increase since climbing 3.1 percent in January 2012. In May, 60 percent of the rise in the index for final demand is attributable to a 1.0-percent advance in prices for final demand goods. The index for final demand services moved up 0.3 percent. Prices for final demand ... (full story)

U.S. producer prices rose more than forecast in May as the cost of fuels surged by the most in three years, a Labor Department report showed Wednesday. The report shows that prices received by producers are picking up in response to both sturdy domestic demand and U.S.-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum. It followed figures on Tuesday that showed consumer prices accelerating in the 12 months through May by the most in more than six years. The cost of steel mill products climbed 4.3 percent in May, the biggest advance since February 2011, the report showed. In March, the Trump administration imposed 25 percent ... (full story)