Producer prices up for 2nd month in September

Producer prices rose for the second consecutive month in September, driven by higher agricultural goods prices during the Chuseok harvest holiday, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The producer price index, a key gauge of future consumer inflation, increased 0.2 percent last month from a month earlier, following a 0.1 percent on-month gain in August, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

In July, the index fell for the first time since August 2025.

From a year earlier, producer prices rose 7.7 percent in September, slightly slowing from the previous month's 7.9 percent on-year gain, the latest findings showed.

Producer prices are a key indicator of future inflation trends, as they influence the prices businesses charge consumers in the months ahead.

The BOK said prices of agricultural, livestock and fisheries products rose 2.6 percent in September due to increased demand amid the Chuseok holiday, which fell in the fourth week of September.

Prices of electricity, gas and water supplies gained 1.3 percent last month.

Prices of industrial goods, including petroleum and chemical products, remained flat in September compared with the previous month.

The domestic supply price index, which reflects both producer and import prices, stayed unchanged in September from a month earlier, the data showed.

Yonhap