WHOLESALE PRICES RISE 0.1 PERCENT

WASHINGTON» U.S. wholesale prices barely rose last month as a sharp decline in the cost of gas offset pricier freight trucking services and mobile phone plans.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that the producer price index — which tracks cost changes before they reach the consumer — increased 0.1 percent in November from the previous month.

That’s down sharply from a 0.6 percent gain in October. Wholesale prices rose 2.5 percent from a year ago, the smallest annual increase this year.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core wholesale prices rose 0.3 percent in October and 2.7 percent from a year earlier. A second measure of core prices, which also excludes wholesale and retail profit margins, rose 2.8 percent from a year ago, down from a recent peak of 3 percent in July.

Target to pay $3M over Medicaid claim.

» Target Corp. has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated rules of Massachusetts’ Medicaid program.

Federal and Massachusetts authorities allege Minneapolisbased Target violated federal and state False Claims Acts by automatically refilling Medicaid recipients’ prescriptions and seeking payment from Medicaid.

Authorities say Target pharmacies knowingly and routinely enrolled MassHealth beneficiaries in the autorefill program, then billed MassHealth. The practice continued until Target sold its pharmacy business to CVS Health in 2015.

Detention of Nissan’s Ghosn extended.

YO» A Tokyo court TO K ruled Tuesday that Nissan Motor Co.’s former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, and another executive will remain in custody through Dec. 20, more than a month after their arrest. Their detention could continue for months more under the Japanese legal system.

The Tokyo District Court said Tuesday that it had rejected a protest filed by Ghosn’s lawyer against the prolonged detention.