Prices, Industrial Production, Business Inventories, Retail Sales
With energy prices stabilizing at the wholesale level, producer prices decelerated in May, inching up 0.2%. Meanwhile, the May Consumer Price Index (CPI) continued to reflect the increasing cost of energy products at the retail level by rising 0.4%. Industrial production lost ground in May for the first time in four months, dropping 0.1%. Total inventories rose by 0.4% in April, with manufacturing and wholesale stocks gaining 0.7% and 0.9%, respectively. Finally, retail sales lost momentum in May by rising just 0.1%, down from a 0.8% advance in April.
For further analysis, visit: http://www.uschamber.com/publications/weekly/outlook/060620.htm