Wholesale Price Rise on Higher Energy Costs

Washington, DC,  March 15, 2012 — U.S. wholesale prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in February, the fastest increase in five months, due mostly to higher petroleum costs, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, core wholesale prices rose 0.2%.

Energy prices jumped 1.3%, mainly because of a 4.3% increase in gasoline.