For Current And Historical Material In This — 1999-09-15

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in August, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 167.1 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in August, the CPI-U increased 2.3 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.3 in August, prior to seasonal adjustment. The August level of 163.8 was 2.4 percent higher than the index in August 1998. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.3 percent in August, the same as in July. Energy costs increased sharply for the second consecutive month--up 2.7 percent in August--accounting for about two-thirds of the August advance in the overall CPI. The index for petroleum-based energy rose 5.4 percent in August, and the index for energy services increased 0.3 percent.