Producer Price Index Unchanged

Prices paid to U.S. producers were unchanged in August, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The unchanged producer price index — which measures prices paid to factories, farmers and other producers — followed a 0.2% increase in July.

The core PPI excluding food and energy rose 0.1%, Labor said.

Economists had predicted an unchanged PPI reading, 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.