(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1999-02-18

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.5 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 0.4-percent advance in December and a 0.2-percent decline in November. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods increased 0.1 percent, following a 0.5- percent decline in the prior month. The crude goods index rose 2.6 percent, after registering a 4.0-percent drop a month earlier. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Finish ed goods Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediateCrude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1998 Jan. -0.6 -0.3 -3.7 0.0 -1.7 -0.7 -5.6 Feb. -.1 .3 -1.4 .1 -1.5 -.2 -1.9 Mar. 0 -.2 -2.2 .5 -1.5 -.3 -1.4 Apr.