PPI-FD
Released On 3/13/2015 8:30:00 AM For Feb, 2015
Highlights
"The PPI for total final demand fell 0.5 percent in February after decreasing 0.8 percent in January. Expectations were for a 0.3 percent rebound. Energy was flat, following a 10.3 percent drop while foods decreased 1.6 percent, following a 1.1 percent dip in January. Excluding food and energy, producer price inflation posted a minus monthly 0.5 percent after slipping 0.1 percent the month before. Analysts called for a 0.1 percent gain. Total excluding food, energy and trade services were unchanged after dipping 0.3 percent in January. Expectations were for a 0.1 percent rise in February.
"The index for final demand goods decreased 0.4 percent after falling 2.1 percent in January. Leading the decrease, margins for final demand trade services dropped 1.5 percent. (Trade indexes measure changes in margins received by wholesalers and retailers.)
The index for final demand services fell 0.5 percent after easing 0.2 percent the month before.
"On a seasonally adjusted year-ago basis, PPI final demand was down 0.7 percent, compared to down 0.1 percent in January. Excluding food & energy, the PPI final demand was up 1.0 percent versus 1.7 percent the month before. Excluding food, energy, and trade services PPI inflation slowed to 0.7 percent on a year-ago basis, compared to 0.9 percent in January.
"Inflation at the producer level remains essentially nonexistent. So far inflation numbers for February (including import prices) let the Fed stay loose on monetary policy.
Recent History Of This Indicator
"The producer price index for final demand decreased 0.8 percent January after falling 0.2 percent in December. This was the biggest drop for the PPI-FD on record. A sharp drop in energy pulled the headline number down. But weakness was more widespread. Excluding food and energy, producer price inflation slipped 0.1 percent after firming 0.3 percent the month before. The index for final demand goods fell 2.1 percent after dropping 1.1 percent in December. The January decrease was led by prices for final demand energy, which fell a monthly 10.3 percent. The decline in prices for final demand goods was led by the index for gasoline, which dropped 24.0 percent. The index for final demand services eased 0.2 percent after advancing 0.3 percent in December. In January, prices for final demand services less trade declined 0.3 percent after rising 0.1 percent the month before. This was the first decline since falling 0.3 percent in September 2014. In January, a major contributor to the decline in the index for final demand services was prices for outpatient care, which fell 0.7 percent."