U.S. January PPI Tops Forecasts as Companies Turn to Fintech and AI for Supply-Chain Challenges

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Producer Price Index measures the selling prices businesses receive for goods and services and serves as an upstream indicator of consumer inflation. Tariff volatility and overseas sourcing risks are raising logistics, wholesale and retail costs. If companies cannot absorb them, those pressures could be passed on to consumers, making working-capital tools, AI forecasting and commercial cards important for supply-chain stability.

BLS data released on Feb. 27, 2026, showed that the final-demand PPI rose 0.5% in January from the previous month and 2.9% from a year earlier. Services prices increased 0.8%, while trade margins climbed 2.5%. A PYMNTS Intelligence and Visa Acceptance Solutions survey found that 85% of U.S. middle-market companies used working-capital solutions and that AI adoption among North American companies reached 42%. The amount invested was not disclosed.