The producer price index surged 0.7% in February on a seasonally adjusted basis, while the core rate, which excludes food and energy rose 0.2%, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
In January, PPI rose an unrevised 0.2% while the core rate also gained an unrevised 0.2%.
Food prices fell 0.5% in February, while energy prices grew 3.0%. Intermediate goods gained 1.3%, while crude goods dropped 0.3%.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected the 0.7% rise in the headline number and the 0.2% core increase.
