Economy shows signs of cooling, with easing inflation, higher jobless claims

Applications for unemployment benefits climbed to a more than one-year high and wholesale inflation continued to moderate, adding to signs of softening in the economy.

The producer price index for final demand increased 2.3% in April from a year ago, the slowest pace since early 2021 and extending a year-long easing tied to falling commodities costs and improved supply chains. Government data Thursday also showed initial jobless claims last week rose to the highest since October 2021.

At a high level, the reports may bolster chances that the Federal Reserve will pause its run of interest-rate hikes at next month’s meeting. However, details beneath the surface show persistent inflationary pressures that officials are struggling to tame.

The PPI data come a day after the consumer price index indicated inflation—though still high—is beginning to show promising signs of moderation. While shipping delays, shortages and other logistics headaches sharply drove up prices for a variety of goods in 2021 and the first half of 2022, the gradual amelioration of these challenges has been a key disinflationary force.

At the same time, the tightness of the labor market has driven up wages and kept upward pressure on prices. While unemployment remains low, the latest jobless claims figure suggests some softening.

Under the headline figure, 80% of the monthly rise in the PPI was due to services. That included increases for portfolio management, food wholesaling and a handful of health care-related costs.

And within the claims report, about half of the unadjusted rise in applications was due to one state—Massachusetts.

The Fed, which raised interest rates above 5% for the first time since 2007 last week, is now closely monitoring service prices for signs that inflationary pressures are meaningfully abating.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the so-called core PPI increased 0.2% last month and was up 3.2% from April 2022. Also stripping out trade services, the PPI rose 0.2% from a month earlier and 3.4% from a year ago.

Several categories from the PPI report, notably in health care, are used to calculate the personal consumption expenditures price gauge—the Fed’s preferred inflation measure—that will be released later this month.

Prices of hospital outpatient care rose at a faster pace in April than a month earlier as did home health and hospice care. Meanwhile, hospital inpatient care and nursing home care costs moderated.

Costs of processed goods for intermediate demand, which reflect prices earlier in the production pipeline, dropped 0.4% due to a decline in energy and food costs. Excluding these costs, the category rose by the most in nearly a year.