The number of US workers drawing unemployment aid jumped to a record high in early February, according to figures this afternoon.
A separate report showed that US wholesale prices rose last month, breaking a five-month trend of declines as energy costs rebounded.
The number of people remaining on the benefits rolls after drawing an initial week of aid surged 170,000 to 4.99 million in the week ended February 7, the most recent week for which the data is available, the Labor Department said. That was the highest reading on records dating back to 1967.
Separate US government figures showed that the producer price index rose 0.8% in January, the first rise since July, compared with a 1.9% drop in December. Compared with the same period last year, the producer price index fell 1%, the largest decline since October 2006.
Core producer prices, excluding food and energy costs, rose 0.4% in January. Energy prices surged 3.7% in January, after five months of falls. Petrol prices jumped 15%, the biggest increase since November 2007.
