U.S. June producer prices jump 1.8 percent

WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices jumped by twice as much as expected in June on a big rise in finished energy prices, a government report showed on Tuesday.

The seasonally adjusted index for prices paid at the farm and factory gate increased by 1.8 percent, the steepest gain since November 2007. Core prices, which strip out volatile food and energy, also rose a much greater-than-expected 0.5 percent, boosted by car and truck sales.

Analysts polled by Reuters were expecting a 0.9 percent rise in producer prices and a 0.1 percent rise in core producer prices. (Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Andrea Ricci)