January wholesale inflation surged 9.7% from a year ago

By PAUL WISEMAN
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale inflation in the United States surged again last month, rising 9.7% from a year earlier in a sign that price pressures remain high at all levels of the economy. The Labor Department said Tuesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 1% from December. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, wholesale inflation rose 0.8% from December and 8.3% from January 2021.Last week, the government reported that inflation at the consumer level soared over the past year at its highest rate in four decades, squeezing households, wiping out pay raises and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin raising borrowing rates.