Wholesale prices rose 0.3% in November, more than expected, despite hopes that inflation is cooling

Wholesale prices rose more than expected in November as food prices surged, dampening hopes that inflation could be headed lower, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The producer price index, a measure of what companies get for their products in the pipeline, increased 0.3% for the month and 7.4% from a year ago, which was the slowest 12-month pace since May 2021. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for a 0.2% gain.

Excluding food and energy, core PPI was up 0.4%, also against a 0.2% estimate. Core PPI was up 6.2% from a year ago, compared to 6.6% in October.

Stocks fell following the report after previously indicating a positive open on Wall Street. Treasury yields moved higher.

Markets now will turn their attention to the more closely watched consumer price index, which is due out Tuesday morning. A day later, the Federal Reserve will conclude a two-day meeting with an announcement on where interest rates are heading.

The hot inflation data keeps the Fed on track for another rate increase, likely a 0.5% hike that would push benchmark borrowing rates to a target range of 4.25%-4.5%. Policymakers have been pushing rates higher in an effort to quell stubborn inflation that has emerged over the past 18 months after being mostly dormant for more than a decade.