Producer price index rose in August

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- The Producer Price Index for finished goods in the United States rose 1.7 percent in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

The price advancement follows a 0.9 percent decline in July. In June, prices rose 1.8 percent.

The index has swung up and down. Through August, prices rose in five months of 2009 and fell in three.

In August, core prices, which exclude energy and food items, rose 0.2 percent after falling 0.1 percent in July.

Energy prices in August rose 8 percent, while food prices for producers rose 0.4 percent, the bureau said.