Wholesale prices rose less than expected in April, according to a Labor Department report Thursday that provides more hope that inflation is at least trending lower.

The producer price index, a measure of prices for final demand goods and services, increased 0.2%, against the Dow Jones estimate for 0.3%. Excluding food and energy, core PPI also rose 0.2%, in line with expectations.

On an annual basis, headline PPI increased just 2.3%, down from 2.7% in March and the lowest reading since January 2021.

Though the PPI rise was less than expected, the services index increased 0.3%, the biggest move since November 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics report stated.

A separate Labor Department report Thursday showed that jobless claims for the week ended May 6 jumped to 264,000, an increase of 22,000 from the previous period. The total was well above the Dow Jones estimate for 245,000 and the highest reading since Oct. 30, 2021.

This is breaking news. Please check back here for updates.