WHOLESALE INFLATION SHOWS ANOTHER DECLINE

Prices at the wholesale level rose 8% in October from a year ago, the fourth straight decline and the latest sign that inflation pressures in the United States are easing. The annual figure is down from 8.4% in September. On a monthly basis, the government said Tuesday that its producer price index, which measures costs before they reach consumers, rose 0.2% in October from September, the same as in the previous month. Most of the monthly increase reflected higher gas prices at the wholesale level, which rose 5.7% just in October.