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U.S. Jan. Producer Prices Unchanged; Core Falls 0.2% (Update3) 

The producer price index was held down by a 4.9 percent drop in wholesale cigarette prices. Data were collected before mid-month price increases of 13 cents a pack by Philip Morris Cos. and R.J. Reynolds Holdings Inc., the two largest U.S. cigarette makers, a Labor Department spokeswoman said.

Because of different survey methods, those increases could be reflected in the consumer price index for January, which the department issues tomorrow. Today's report also did not pick up an increase in the federal tax on cigarettes.

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