Suppliers’ price increases plateaued in the first two months of the year as pandemic-related disruptions and strong consumer demand continue to stoke inflation.
The Labor Department on Tuesday said the producer-price index, which generally reflects supply conditions in the economy, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in February from the prior month, slowing from January’s upwardly revised 1.2% increase.
On a 12-month basis, the producer-price index was 10% in February, the same as the prior month.
The moderate comes as global energy and commodity markets gyrate because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and new Covid-19 related lockdowns in China that threaten to further scramble supply chains.
The index measures what suppliers are charging businesses and other customers….
