Wholesale Prices: A Surprising December Slowdown

You might be surprised to learn that wholesale prices didn't jump as high as expected in December. This is good news for those worried about inflation. The Producer Price Index, which tracks changes in what producers pay, only went up by 0. 2% month-to-month and 3. 3% over the year. However, experts warn that this might just be a brief pause before things heat up. President-elect Trump has talked about adding steep tariffs on trading partners, which could make things pricier for consumers. The main reason for December's price rise was energy costs, which went up by 3. 5%. This pushed up the overall index, but prices didn't climb as much as experts predicted. They expected a 0. 3% monthly rise and a 3. 4% annual increase. A key inflation measure, called the Core PPI, didn't change much. It stayed flat from November and at 3. 5% yearly. This measure leaves out volatile food and energy prices. Even though the annual PPI rate hit its highest since February 2023, the December rise was a bit of a relief, showing that prices aren't surging as fast as feared.