S. Korea’s producer price rises for 5th month in April

SEOUL, May 22 -- Price for goods and service among South Korean suppliers rose for the fifth consecutive month due to expensive crude oil, central bank data showed Wednesday.
   The producer price index (PPI) gained 0.3 percent in April compared with the previous month, continuing to increase since December 2023, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
   Producer price for industrial products, including oil products, climbed 0.7 percent in April after going up 0.3 percent in the previous month.
   Price for coal and industrial products advanced 1.7 percent last month, faster than an increase of 0.6 percent in the prior month.
   Price for agricultural, livestock and fishery products among suppliers dipped 3.0 percent in April on a monthly basis, marking the first slide in five months.
   Producer price for electricity, natural gas and tap water slipped 0.6 percent in April after rising 0.9 percent in March.
   Service price was up 0.2 percent in April due to higher cost for the eatery and lodging and the transport services that offset lower finance service cost.