March Producer Price Growth Holds Steady as Energy Costs Jump

-- US producer prices growth steadied in March as wholesale costs of energy surged amid volatility stemming from the Iran war.

The producer price index increased 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from February's tally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. A survey compiled by Bloomberg pointed to a gain of 1.1%.

The March increase is attributable to a 1.6% goods advance, which was driven by an 8.5% jump in energy prices, the BLS said.

Energy prices have soared in the aftermath of the US-Israel war with Iran amid supply disruptions. Washington and Tehran, which agreed to a temporary ceasefire last week, failed to reach a deal during negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend.

The US and Iran could resume talks later this week, possibly in Pakistan, media outlets reported Tuesday, citing US President Donald Trump.

"A sizable increase in the PPI underscores the material effects of higher energy prices and the broader inflationary impact of a global price shock on the domestic economy," Stifel Chief Economist Lindsey Piegza wrote in a note. "Such pressures are furthermore likely to intensify in the coming months as upstream costs work their way down the production pipeline."

Prices for final demand services remained flat month over month, after a 0.3% advance in February, BLS data showed.

Annually, wholesale cost growth accelerated to 4% in March, the largest gain in 12 months, from February's 3.4% rise. The consensus was for a 4.6% increase.

The PPI report follows official data released last week that showed consumer inflation accelerated to its highest monthly reading in nearly four years in March.