By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Wholesale prices fell a larger-than-expected 0.6% in February after seasonable adjustments, with energy prices falling 2.9%, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. This is the largest decline since last July.The producer price index has risen 4.4% in the past year, the government said. The core PPI - which excludes food and energy prices - rose 0.1% in February, more than expected. Core prices are up 1.0% in the past year. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected a 0.3% fall in the headline PPI and a 0.1% decline in the core rate. The PPI had risen 1.4% in January, while the core rate was up 0.3%.
