U.S. producer prices unexpectedly soared at their highest annual rate in 27 years last month as rising wholesale prices for energy spread to a variety of products including automobiles, prescription drugs and capital equipment. The Labor Department said the producer price index for finished goods jumped 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in July, representing a 9.8% rise from the previous year. The core index, which excludes food and energy, climbed 0.7% last month and rose 3.5% from a year ago, a 17-year high.