Wholesale prices flat, as inflation pressures ease

Companies paid the same amount for wholesale goods last month as a drop in energy prices offset higher food costs. 
 
Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core wholesale prices edged up 0.1 percent, the smallest increase in three months. The figures indicate that inflation pressures are easing. 
 
The Labor Department says the Producer Price Index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, was unchanged in August, after a 0.2 percent rise in July. 
 
In the past 12 months, the index has increased 6.5 percent, mostly due to higher gas and food costs. That’s the smallest 12-month rise since March, though much bigger than the annual changes late last year. 
 
Core prices rose 2.5 percent in the past 12 months, the same pace as July.