Wholesale prices jump on energy costs

Wholesale prices rose steeply in March on surging energy costs, the government reported Tuesday, but excluding volatile fuel and food costs producer prices came in tamer than analysts had forecast.

The Producer Price Index, the government’s key measure of wholesale prices, rose 0.7 percent in March, compared to the 0.4 percent increase seen in February. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a 0.6 percent rise in March.