U.S. PRODUCER ENERGY PRICES RISE IN FEBRUARY Prices of wholesale finished energy goods in the U.S. rose 4.0 pct in February after a 9.8 pct rise in January, the Labor Department said. The Producer Price Index for finished energy goods fell by 20.9 pct in the past 12 months. Heating oil prices rose 3.0 pct in February after a 18.0 pct rise in January, the department said. Gasoline prices rose by 5.5 pct last month after a 15.7 pct January rise, the department said. Natural gas prices rose 1.8 pct after a 4.2 pct rise in January. Crude oil prices rose 4.4 pct in February, after a 19.7 pct January rise and were off 21.3 pct from the year ago level.