SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Prices for goods and services among South Korean suppliers hit the highest in 33 months due to expensive crude oil, central bank data showed Monday.
The producer price index (PPI) rose 0.5 percent from a month earlier to stand at 102.81 in September, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It was the highest since December 2014, keeping an upward momentum for the third consecutive month. The index is reflected in consumer prices with a certain time gap.
Higher producer prices were attributed to more expensive crude oil. Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, traded at 53.66 U.S. dollars per barrel on average in September, up from 50.22 dollars in August.
Prices for industrial goods gained 0.8 percent last month, with those for gasoline and diesel increasing 7.4 percent and 5.6 percent respectively.
Farm goods prices among suppliers rose 0.3 percent in September, but it was lower than a 4.6 percent gain in the previous month.
Services prices were almost unchanged in September from a month earlier.
