U.S. May PPI up 0.8%, core rate up 0.3% WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - Wholesale food and energy prices rose 0.8 percent in May, the Labor Department estimated Thursday. This is the largest increase since March 2003. Core producer prices, excluding food and energy goods, rose 0.3 percent. The increases were above expectations. Economists surveyed by CBS MarketWatch had forecast a 0.6 percent rise in overall PPI and a 0.2 percent rise in core prices. Over the past year ended in May, the PPI has risen 5.0 percent. This is the largest 12-month increase since December 1990.The core PPI has risen 1.7 percent over the past 12 months, the highest since January 1991. 8:30am 06/17/04 U.S. jobless claims fall in latest week WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell 15,000 to 336,000 in the week ended June 12, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of initial claims fell 2,750 to 343,250. A Labor Department official said a portion of the decline in claims can be attributed to the closing last Friday of 15 state unemployment offices as for former President Ronald Reagan's funeral. The drop in claims was roughly in line with the forecasts of Wall Street economists. Meanwhile, the number of Americans receiving state jobless benefits rose 31,000 to 2.90 million in the week ending June 5. The four-week moving average of continuing claims fell 9,500 to 2.93 million, the lowest since June 2001
Gruß MadX |