There are growing concerns about the stickiness of inflation and fears that the Federal Reserve may have to keep interest rates restrictively high for longer.

U.S. wholesale inflation rose last month on higher energy prices. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.2% last month from November,

The December figure marked a deceleration from monthly producer-price increases in November, when prices rose by 0.4%.