The Labor Department reported Tuesday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.2% last month from November, down from a 0.4% gain the month before. Compared with a year earlier, producer prices rose 3.3%, biggest jump since February 2023 and up from a 3% gain in November.

U.S. inflation data out Wednesday showed consumer prices ticked up more than expected in December amid higher gas prices. The Labor Department's consumer price index rose 0.4% last month, slightly more than economists polled by Reuters had expected,