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US wholesale prices rise 0.3 pct., led by costlier gas, food

Last Updated Jan 13, 2017 at 9:40 am MDT

WASHINGTON – U.S. wholesale prices rose 0.3 per cent in December, led higher by more expensive gas, food and cars.

The producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach consumers, increased 1.6 per cent last year, the Labor Department said Friday. That’s the biggest 12-month gain since September 2014. Still, it is low historically and suggests inflation is largely in check.

The Federal Reserve has begun to slowly raise interest rates as the job market picks up and is keeping a close eye on inflation. With wages starting to increase more quickly, companies may lift prices to offset those costs. Yet wholesale price increases remain below the Fed’s target for overall inflation of 2 per cent.

December’s gain was led by a big climb in wholesale gas prices, which rose 7.8 per cent. Food prices increased 0.7 per cent, with chicken eggs, a volatile category, jumping 69.3 per cent. Fresh fruits and melons, which soared last month, declined by the most in more than six years.

Prices at the pump rose in December. They averaged $2.35 a gallon nationwide Thursday, 14 cents higher than a month ago.

Excluding the food, energy and retailer profit margin categories, which are volatile month to month, prices rose 0.1 per cent in December and 1.7 per cent in the past year.

Consumers have seen higher prices in housing and health care in recent months. That’s pushed up core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, by 2.1 per cent in the past year.

Ongoing price gains could lead the Fed to raise rates more often this year. At a meeting last month, Fed officials lifted short-term rates by a quarter of a percentage point, to between 0.5 per cent and 0.75 per cent. They also forecast three additional increases in 2017.