Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in March, much less than expected despite war impact

Producer prices rose in March but considerably less than expected as the Iran war's push on energy prices rekindled fears of another inflation burst.The producer price index, a gauge of pipeline costs for final demand goods and services, increased a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 1.1%, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Tuesday.Excluding food and energy, core PPI was up just 0.1% against the forecast for 0.5%.On an annual basis, the all-items PPI accelerated 4%, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2023. Core PPI posted a 3.8% annual gain. Excluding food, energy and trade services, PPI increased 0.2% monthly and 3.6% annually.The increase on the producer end of prices was less than the 0.9% gain in prices consumers actually paid for the month. Core consumer prices also were soft, rising just 0.2%.As expected, energy was the primary culprit in the index gain. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inboxGet this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.© 2026 Versant Media, LLC.

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