U.S. producer prices remained flat during February after considerable increases in the previous two months, according to the latest government data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly Producer Price Index report on March 13, showing that final demand was unchanged in February, following a 0.6% increase in January and a 0.5% increase in December.

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Economists surveyed by Dow Jones forecasted a 0.3% monthly February increase.

February’s unchanged data was impacted by a 0.3% increase in prices for final demand, offset by a 0.2% decline in the index for final demand services.

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On an annual basis, February’s PPI increased 3.2%, down from 3.5% in January and a 3.3% gain in December.

U.S. Producer Price Index Month-to-Month

source: tradingeconomics.com

The PPI tracks average price shifts at the wholesale level before they reach consumers.

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Core PPI — which excludes volatile food and energy categories — rose 0.2% in February following a 0.3% gain in January. Core PPI for the 12 months that ended in February increased 3.3%.

U.S. Producer Price Index Year-over-Year

source: tradingeconomics.com

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly Consumer Price Index summary on March 12, which showed a monthly increase of 0.2% in February’s all-items index, following a 0.5% rise in January and 0.4% gain in December.

The CPI all-items index increased 2.8% for the 12 months that ended in January.