Wholesale prices up for April

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Inflation at the wholesale level jumped in April by the largest amount in three months, fueled by rising prices of food and energy. Even excluding the volatile energy and food categories, core inflation was up sharply as well, raising concerns about whether inflation is starting to edge higher after being quiet for years.

The Labor Department said Thursday that its producer price index, which measures inflation before it reaches the consumer, rose 0.5 percent in April. That represented a sharp rebound following a 0.1 percent decline in March.

Inflation has been moving higher in the past year, reflecting in large part a rebound in energy and other commodity prices.