Producer prices up

Wholesale prices jumped in April, but not as dramatically as many had economists predicted. Sharply higher gasoline and heating oil prices pushed up the producer price index 0.3 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. But steeper energy prices reflected late March levels; the prices have since fallen. Food prices declined 1 percent; other consumer goods were down 0.2 percent.

The April reading translates to an annual rate of 3.8 percent. At current levels, a basket of goods costing $100 in 1967 would cost $293.10 today.