US producer prices dip 0.1 per cent in August

WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale prices fell unexpectedly last month for the first time since February 2017, pulled down by falling prices for transportation and warehousing services. The drop suggests that inflationary pressures may be easing despite the strength of the U.S. economy.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — fell 0.1 per cent in August after being flat in July. Producer prices were up 2.8 per cent from August 2017.

“Inflation pressures look modest for this late in an economic cycle,” Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank, wrote in a research note. The American economy is enjoying the second-longest expansion on record, having emerged from the Great Recession in June 2009.

Wholesale prices for services slid 0.1 per cent last month; prices of goods were flat. Over the past year, goods prices for producers have risen 3.9 per cent.