WASHINGTON, April 13 — Rising fuel prices amid the war in Ukraine drove US wholesale inflation up sharply in March, pushing the increase for the last 12 months up 11.2 per cent, according to government data released today.

That was the biggest annual increase since the Labour Department reformulated the producer price index (PPI) in November 2010, and follows three months of wholesale inflation over 10 per cent.

Prices have been accelerating for months as the US economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns, and demand outstripped supply.

But the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a major energy producer, and the Western sanctions on Moscow, have sent oil prices soaring worldwide.

The data follows yesterday’s report showing consumer prices in March increased at the fastest pace since December 1981.

"Ouch,” economist Ian Shepherdson said of the data, citing "the chaotic conditions following the invasion of Ukraine.”

But some of those factors "will not persist,” he said, adding "the worst is over.”

Excluding energy, food and trade services, the annual PPI rose seven per cent.

"Core PPI inflation probably has now peaked,” Shepherdson said, "but the speed of the downturn over the next few months is uncertain; serious supply chain problems persist.” 

The increase in headline PPI compared to February surpassed economists’ expectations, rising 1.4 per cent, on a 4.7 per cent jump in energy. — AFP