Wholesale Prices Rise.

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Wholesale prices rose slightly by 0.1 percent after shooting up the month before, the Labor Department reported today. Lower costs for cars and trucks helped blunt higher prices for natural gas and other energy products. The small advance in the Producer Price Index, which measures inflation before they reach store shelves, followed a huge 1.1 percent increase in January. February's performance was on target with many analysts' forecasts. Prices for goods other than food and energy products - which often swing widely from month to month - actually fell 0.3 percent in February, marking the biggest drop since August 1993. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped in early trading, and again fell below the 10,000 plateau. At 2 p.m., the DJIA had lost more than 98 points and stood at 9,933.06, while the Nasdaq had dropped 39 points to 1,901.54.