U.S. producer prices fall, signal weak inflation pressures

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices fell in November and were muted even outside of energy, a sign of weak inflationary pressure that could point to persistent slack in the economy.

The Labor Department said on Friday its producer price index for final demand dropped 0.2 percent, a sharper fall than expected.

A plunge in gasoline prices drove the decline.

But a core measure of producer inflation, which excludes food, energy and trade services, was flat. That could be worrisome for Federal Reserve policymakers who are expected to debate next week whether to keep a pledge that borrowing costs will stay at rock bottom for a "considerable time."

When compared to a year earlier, that core index was up just 1.5 percent, and the annual reading has been dropping a tenth of a point each month since September.

Another core reading that only strips out food and energy was also flat on the month and up 1.8 percent from November 2013.

Fed officials largely view the current low inflation environment as transitory and believe the likelihood of inflation running persistently below the U.S. central bank's 2 percent target has diminished somewhat since early this year.

The drop in gasoline prices, for example, could prove temporary. Moreover, cheaper gas helps the economy by letting families spend more on other things and early data on retail spending in November has pointed to strengthening consumer demand.

The data did not appear to have much impact on Wall Street trading. Yields on government debt held to lower levels, and stock index futures pointed to a lower open after data indicated a softening in China's economy.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Andrea Ricci)