14
Ago
Producer prices, a barometer of wholesale inflation, rose modestly by 0.1% in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure was lower than economists expected and offered some relief to the Federal Reserve as it navigates monetary policy. Core producer prices, which exclude volatile food and energy components, were unchanged. On an annual basis, wholesale inflation cooled to 2.2%, down from 2.7% the previous month. While final goods demand prices increased by 0.6%, mainly due to a spike in energy costs, this upward pressure was offset by a decline in services prices. Commercial services and wholesale margins for…