Wall Street Journal (06/12/15) Jeffrey Sparshott; Kate Davidson

The producer-price index for final demand rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5% in May from April, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Most of the increase was due to higher energy prices. Core prices, which exclude the energy and food categories, increased 0.1%. When excluding energy, food, and trade services, the index declined 0.1%. Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had forecast overall prices would increase 0.4% and core prices would rise 0.1%.

Overall producer prices have fallen 1.1% from a year ago and core prices have risen 0.6%. It’s the fourth consecutive monthly decline in overall producer prices.