For Current And Historical Information: Material In This — 1998-04-14

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in March before seasonal adjustment to a level of 162.2 (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 has increased 1.4 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March 1998 CPI-W level of 158.7 was 1.1 percent higher than the index in March 1997. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U was unchanged in March, following a 0.1 percent rise in February. The food index was unchanged for the second consecutive month. Grocery store food prices decreased 0.1 percent in March, the same as in February, reflecting declines in the indexes for fruits and vegetables, for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, and for nonalcoholic beverages.