Wholesale prices rose 0.3 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This rise followed a 1.2-percent decline in March and a 0.1-percent increase in February.
At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods moved down 0.5 percent following a 1.5-percent decrease a month earlier, and the crude goods index advanced 3.0 percent after declining 0.3 percent in March.
Among finished goods, prices for consumer foods rose 1.5 percent in April following a 0.7-percent decrease in the previous month. The index for finished energy goods edged down 0.1 percent subsequent to a 5.5-percent decline in March. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy inched up 0.1 percent compared with no change a month earlier.
Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.6 percent in April to 169.9 (1982 = 100). From April 2008 to April 2009, finished goods prices fell 3.7 percent. Over the same period, the finished energy goods index moved down 25.6 percent.
By contrast, prices for finished goods less foods and energy advanced 3.4 percent and the index for finished consumer foods increased 0.2 percent. For the 12 months ended in April, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods declined 10.5 percent, and the crude goods index dropped 40 percent.
