In August, expectations were met as wholesale prices increased by 0.2%.

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the producer price index rose 0.2% in August, which was in line with the Dow Jones consensus estimate.
• The number of initial unemployment benefit filings for the week ended Sept. 7 was 230,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous period and higher than the predicted 225,000.

In August, wholesale prices increased in accordance with expectations, marking the final inflation data point before the Federal Reserve decides to reduce interest rates.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the producer price index, which measures the costs that final demand goods and services producers receive, rose by 0.2% in a month. This was in line with the Dow Jones consensus estimate.

The core increase in PPI, excluding trade services, was the same as the 0.3% increase, which was slightly hotter than the 0.2% consensus estimate.

The annual rate of headline PPI, excluding food, energy, and trade, was 3.3% on a 12-month basis.

The Labor Department reported that the number of initial unemployment benefit filings for the week ended Sept. 7 was 230,000, which was 2,000 higher than the previous period and did not meet the 225,000 estimate.

After the report, Treasury yields mostly decreased, but stock market futures remained relatively unchanged.

The increase in services prices, driven by a 0.4% monthly rise in services, less trade, transportation, and warehousing, as well as a 4.8% jump in guestroom rental, contributed significantly to the gain on the PPI measure.

Prices of goods remained unchanged in August, after a 0.6% increase in July.

Although the BLS reported that consumer prices rose 0.2% on the month as expected, core prices climbed 0.3%, slightly more than anticipated, with the majority of the increase attributed to an increase in shelter-related expenses.

While core inflation remained at 3.2%, annual headline CPI inflation decreased to 2.5%.

The Fed is not anticipated to maintain its benchmark interest rates when its policy meeting ends on Wednesday, despite neither report suggesting otherwise. The central bank's key overnight borrowing rate is currently set within a range of 5.25%-5.5%.

Recent data and policymaker statements have led Wall Street to expect a more traditional quarter-point cut from the central bank, rather than a more aggressive half-point reduction, despite initial uncertainty in market pricing.

Recently, officials from the government have been focusing more on the slowing job market.

Despite a slight increase in the weekly number of jobless claims over the past few months, the report showed that layoffs have not significantly increased.

The number of continuing claims, which lagged a week behind, rose slightly to 1.85 million, an increase of 5,000 from the previous period.