The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Wednesday released the Producer Price Indexes (PPI) for June. Inflation in prices received by producers rose 0.4 per cent in June after a 0.5 per cent increase in May. The increase was based on rising prices for both goods (0.7 per cent) and services (0.3 per cent). Within goods, a 4.3 per cent increase in the price of gasoline followed a 17 per cent jump in May. Prices in non-gasoline energy goods and food were mixed. Prices for goods less food and energy rose 0.4 per cent.
Wood products prices ticked up in June after trending down through the first half of the year. Softwood lumber prices rose 1 per cent for the month but are down 9.1 per cent from a recent high in September 2014. Prices for OSB rose 2.4 per cent in June after a 20.4 per cenrt slide that followed the collapse in prices that ended in July 2013.
Gypsum prices slipped 1.5 per cent in June after being flat in May, increasing to 5.3 per cent the retreat from a February peak.