Producer prices rose in February

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WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Producer Price Index for finished goods matched up with expectations in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.

Prices producers received were up 1.7 percent on an annual basis, in line with the consensus forecast. Core prices, which exclude prices for finished food and energy items, also rose 0.2 percent, matching both January's rise and the consensus forecast.

Separately, prices for food items fell 0.5 percent month to month, while energy prices rose 3 percent, the bureau said.

That is a reverse from January, when energy prices fell and food prices rose slightly.

Prices for intermediate goods rose 1.3 percent, while prices for crude goods -- essentially raw materials -- fell 0.3 percent.