Costs of processed goods for intermediate demand, which reflect prices earlier in the production pipeline, fell. Excluding food and energy, those costs slumped 0.8%, the most since the start of the pandemic.
Separate data have also pointed to an easing of cost pressures. The Institute for Supply Management gauge of prices paid for raw materials by manufacturers slipped last month to its lowest reading since May 2020. And wage growth, while still robust, has eased somewhat.