US wholesale prices dropped in May, adding to evidence that inflation pressures are cooling

WASHINGTON (AP) - Wholesale price increases fell in May, the latest sign that inflation pressures in the United States may be easing as the Federal Reserve considers a timetable for cutting interest rates.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index - which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers - declined 0.2% from April to May after rising 0.5% the month before. Measured from a year earlier, wholesale prices were up 2.2% in May. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core producer prices were unchanged from April and up 2.3% from May 2023.

The producer price index can provide an early read on where consumer inflation is headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, including some healthcare and financial services costs, are used to compile the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, known as the personal consumption expenditures price index.

The wholesale figures were released a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer inflation eased in May for a second straight month. Core consumer prices rose 0.2% from April to May, the smallest increase since October. And compared with May 2023, core prices rose 3.4%, the mildest such increase in three years.