May wholesale prices jump 0.5%

Prices at the wholesale level rose at the fastest pace in nearly three years in May, pushed higher by a sharp jump in the cost of gasoline and a record increase in the price eggs related to an outbreak of avian influenza. But outside of increases in volatile food and energy costs, core inf lation remained moderate.

The producer price index, which measures inf lation pressures before they reach consumers, surged 0.5% in May, the Labor Department reported. It was the biggest one-month increase since September 2012.

Core prices, which exclude energy and food, rose just 0.1% in May.