WASHINGTON - The producer price index fell 0.4% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
That matched a 0.4% decline in February 2010 for the largest decline since a 1.3% drop in July 2009.
Core prices, which exclude food and energy, rose 0.3%.
The median estimates from economists polled by Thomson Reuters were for a 0.2% decline in the overall number and a 0.2% increase for the core PPI.
Energy goods overall showed a 2.8% decline, led by a 4.7% tumble in gasoline prices.
Food prices were up 0.6%, with fruits up 11.8% and vegetables up 11.0%.
Auto prices rose 0.2% and light trucks rose 1.6%. Canned soda prices rose a record 7.5%.
Year-over-year the PPI rose 7.0%, while the core grew 2.4%, the largest rise since a 2.5% jump in July 2009.
Intermediate goods prices were flat in June. Crude goods were down 0.6%, with an 8.0% decline in petroleum.
