The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on the 14th (local time) that the U.S. producer price index (PPI) for November last year rose 0.2% from the previous month.
The increase was slightly below the 0.3% forecast by market experts surveyed by Dow Jones. Compared with the same period a year earlier, the rise was 3.0%.
By institutional sector, final demand goods prices jumped 0.9% in a month, driven by a surge in energy prices. The Labor Department said this was the highest rise in about two years since Feb. 2024. In particular, final demand energy prices soared 4.6% from the previous month, leading the overall increase. In contrast, prices in the services sector were flat from the prior month with no change.
Excluding volatile items such as energy and food, the core producer price index rose 0.2% from the previous month and 3.5% from a year earlier, extending its upward trend.
Producer prices reflect price movements at the wholesale stage and are used as a leading indicator to gauge future inflation, as they affect consumer prices with a time lag.