Producer Price Index Falls in August

Prices paid to U.S. producers fell in August, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The 1.4% decline followed a 0.6% drop in July, which had been the first drop in five months.

The so-called core PPI excluding food and energy rose 0.2% following a 0.1% rise, Labor said.

Economists had forecast the PPI to decline 0.3%, while the core rate was expected to rise 0.1%, Bloomberg reported.
 
An increase in the PPI could indicate strong demand for goods, which would mean more shipments for trucking companies. However, if inflation begins to accelerate too quickly, it could also hurt the economy.