Wholesale Prices Unexpectedly Fall in March
by Christina Lee on April 14th, 2009
Wholesale prices had declined for the first time this year, surprising economists who largely did not expect them to change at all.
For some, this decrease could be interpreted as a preventive measure against inflation, as Bloomberg reported this morning. Wholesale prices last declined in December 2008, by 1.8 percent.
Measured by the producer price index, wholesale prices serve as one of three gauges of inflation calculated monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Rapidly declining energy prices led the overall decrease, as the costs of both gasoline and home heating oil each declined by 13 percent.
On the other hand, the prices of finished goods sans food and energy had increased by 0.1 percent, following a 0.4 percent increase in February.
Prices of women, girls and infants’ apparel fell slightly in March, after a 1.5 percent increase the month before. Prices of toys and consumer plastic products fell less than they had in February, while prices of sporting and athletic goods rose by 0.6 percent after a 3.5 percent decline.