US producer prices rise a modest 0.1% in June
Posted July 12, 2019 5:33 am.
WASHINGTON — U.S. producer prices rose modestly in June, another sign that inflationary pressures remain subdued.
The Labor Department said Friday that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it reaches consumers, rose 0.1% last month, same as the increase in May. Wholesale prices rose 1.7% from June 2018.
Toss out volatile food and energy prices and wholesale inflation rose 0.3% last month from May and 2.3% from a year earlier.
Inflation has remained tame throughout the record 10-year economic expansion, even as the unemployment rate has dropped to a very low 3.7%. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell cited persistently low inflation this week as a justification for potentially lowering short-term interest rates at the Fed’s next meeting late this month.
Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press
