For Current And Historical Material In This — 2000-04-14

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.8 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 171.1 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in March, the CPI-U increased 3.7 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also rose 0.8 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March level of 167.8 was 4.0 percent higher than the index in March 1999. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.7 percent in March, following an increase of 0.5 percent in February. Rising energy costs--up 4.9 percent in March--accounted for more than half of the monthly change in the overall CPI for the second consecutive month. The index for petroleum-based energy increased 9.1 percent, and the index for energy services rose 0.5 percent.