Quick Overview

• May retail sales fell 0.5% from the previous month, the first drop since August, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
  
  

• The Labor Department said Tuesday its producer price index for May fell 0.6%, the biggest monthly drop in two years, while prices excluding food and energy rose 0.1%.
  
  

• Rail freight volumes have been decelerating in the second quarter with a modestly slowing economy, however rail pricing has continued to grow.
  

• Consumer prices in the U.K. were up 1.9% in May from a year ago, more than expected and the highest in seven years.
  

• The International Coffee Organization estimates the 2005-2006 world coffee production at 106 million (60-kg) bags. They estimate 2004-2005 world consumption at 114 million bags.
  
  

• The average retail price of diesel fuel rose 4.2 cents to $2.276 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday