PPI INCREASES SLIGHTLY IN OCTOBER

From Reuters via USA Today:

Producer prices advanced by a smaller-than expected 0.1% in October as prices for energy and light trucks fell, Labor Department data showed Wednesday, while a key measure of core inflation at the producer level was flat with September.

The October gauge of prices paid at the farm and factory gate was below economists' forecasts for a 0.3% rise after a 1.1% increase in September.

Energy prices fell 0.8% in October after a 4.1% rise in September, while prices for light trucks, which include slow-selling sport-utility vehicles and pickups, fell 2.7% in October.

Core producer prices, which strip out volatile food and energy costs, were unchanged from September. They had been forecast to rise 0.2% after a 0.1% rise in September.

Core prices excluding cars and light trucks, however, rose 0.2% in October.