By Gwynn Guilford

U.S. consumer prices surged in April as the economic recovery picked up, reflecting surging demand as the pandemic eased and higher prices due to supply bottlenecks.

The Labor Department reported its consumer-price index jumped 4.2% in April from a year earlier, up from 2.6% for the year ended in March. That is the highest 12-month level since the summer of 2008. Consumer prices increased a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in April from March. The index measures what consumers pay for goods and services, including clothes, groceries, restaurant meals, recreational activities and vehicles.

Higher prices for used autos surged 10% in April compared with the prior month--the largest monthly increase on record. That accounted for more than a third of the increase, the Labor Department said.

Write to Gwynn Guilford at gwynn.guilford@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 12, 2021 08:57 ET (12:57 GMT)