The Producer Price Index for finished goods increased a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in the month of April, rising a tick faster than the 0.7% increase in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Three quarters of the advance in the index can be attributed to a 2.5% increase in prices for energy, the seventh consecutive monthly rise. Gasoline prices climbed 3.6% in the month alone. The core index, which excludes food and energy, was up 0.3% in the month, with the largest jump being a 1.2% rise in civilian aircraft prices. Prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods rose 1.3% in the month, and the crude goods index climbed 4.0%. For the 12 months ended April 2011, prices for finished goods are up 6.8%, the largest 12-month increase since September of 2008.