Producer Prices Fall in July

Washington, DC, Aug. 12, 2016 -- U.S. producer prices fell unexpectedly in July, according to the Labor Department.

The government said its producer price index fell 0.4 percent last month, the first decline since March and the largest since September 2015. It increased 0.5 percent in June.

In the 12 months through July, the index declined 0.2 percent after rising 0.3 percent in the 12 months through June.

Last month, energy prices fell 1.0 percent after rising 4.1 percent in June. Prices for services fell 0.3 percent.

The so-called core PPI was up 0.8 percent in the 12 months through July.