By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Led higher by energy goods, U.S. producer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in November, the biggest gain since March, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Prices for finished energy goods rose 2.1%, as gasoline prices gained 4.7%. Meanwhile, food prices rose 1% in November, as prices for fresh fruits and melons gained 13.6%. Over the past year, overall producer prices are up 3.5%. Core producer prices, which exclude volatile food and energy costs, rose 0.3% in November, the largest gain since July, as prices for passenger cars rebounded from the prior month. Over the past year, core prices are up 1.2%. For November, economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected overall producer prices to rise 0.7%, and for the core to gain 0.3%. In October, overall producer prices rose 0.4%, while the core fell 0.6%. The government also reported that prices for intermediate goods rose 1.1% in November, while prices for crude goods gained 0.6%.
