This week the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported another really ugly wholesale inflation print, adding to a growing pile of evidence that inflation pressures are proving far more persistent than policymakers, economists, and investors had hoped.
The Producer Price Index rose 1.1% in May, well above economist expectations of 0.7%. On a year-over-year basis, wholesale inflation accelerated to 6.5%, the highest reading since November 2022.
Even though core PPI, which excludes food and energy, came in slightly below expectations at 0.4% versus estimates of 0.5%, that distinction shouldn’t provide much comfort. The headline figure remains extraordinarily elevated, and businesses are still dealing with rising costs that eventually work their way through supply chains and into consumer prices. CNBC reported:
Most of the acceleration in the PPI — nearly 80% — came from a 2.8% surge in final demand goods prices, the biggest increase ever in a data series going back to December 2009. In turn, 80% of that increase came from a 10.7% jump in energy.
Zero Hedge posted the following chart on X showing the jump:
