Wholesale prices rise 6% nationwide

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on May 13 that its producer price index for final demand rose 1.4% in April from March and 6.0% from a year earlier. The increase was broader than energy alone, with services prices up 1.2% in the month and goods prices up 2.0%, according to the agency’s monthly release. The report offers one of the clearest reads on what businesses are paying and charging before those costs filter through supply chains. It also arrived two days after the government’s April consumer inflation report, giving investors and companies another gauge of price pressure across the economy. ### Which parts of wholesale inflation moved the most in April? BLS said more than three-quarters of the April increase in final-demand goods prices came from a 7.8% jump in energy. Gasoline prices rose 15.6% in the month, while jet fuel, diesel fuel and residual fuels also increased, the agency said. The April report also showed final-demand goods less foods and energy rising 0.7%, while food prices edged up 0.2%. (bls.gov) Chicken egg prices moved the other way, falling 49.7%, according to the detailed release. ### Was this only an energy story? Services prices rose 1.2% in April, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, BLS said. (bls.gov) Two-thirds of that advance came from a 2.7% increase in margins for final-demand trade services, a category that measures changes in margins received by wholesalers and retailers rather than sticker prices paid by consumers. The report singled out a 3.5% rise in machinery and equipment wholesaling margins as a major factor. Truck transportation of freight, fuels and lubricants retailing, chemicals and allied products wholesaling, and legal services also moved higher, while portfolio management prices fell 2.4%, BLS said. ### What does the core measure show beneath the headline jump? (bls.gov) BLS said the index for final demand less foods, energy and trade services rose 0.6% in April, matching the largest monthly increase since October 2025. On a 12-month basis, that measure increased 4.4%, the largest year-over-year gain since February 2023. That narrower gauge is closely watched because it strips out some of the most volatile categories. (bls.gov) The April reading showed price pressure extending beyond fuel and food, even as energy accounted for much of the headline move in goods. ### How does this compare with the consumer inflation report? The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on May 12 that the consumer price index rose 0.6% in April and 3.8% from a year earlier. (bls.gov) Core consumer prices, excluding food and energy, rose 0.4% in the month and 2.8% over 12 months, according to the agency’s major indicators page. The two reports measure different parts of the economy. (bls.gov) CPI tracks prices paid by urban consumers, while PPI tracks prices received by domestic producers. Economists often read them together because shifts in wholesale costs can, in some cases, feed into retail inflation or corporate margins over time. ### When is the next update due? (bls.gov) The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the next producer price index release, covering May 2026, is scheduled for June 11, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The agency posts the report and its release calendar on its producer price index pages. (bls.gov 1) (bls.gov 2)