US producer prices fell in December for the third consecutive month, bringing a closely watched gauge of inflation to a rate more in line with pre-pandemic times.
Wholesale inflation as measured by the Producer Price Index rose 1% annually in December, up slightly from November’s revised 0.8% reading, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On Thursday, the December Consumer Price Index, which is the most widely used measure of retail inflation, showed prices rose annually by 3.4%.
“Producers are not facing costs that need to be pushed through to consumers in order to maintain their bottom lines that would reignite inflation,” Rankin said.
The US central bank has become increasingly data dependent in its campaign to bring down inflation.
Persons:
Price, we’ve, Kurt Rankin, Rankin, “ there’s, Eugenio Aleman, Raymond James ’, ” Rankin, “, —, ”
Organizations:
New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, PPI, PNC Financial Services, CNN, “, PNC
Locations:
New York, United States