(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1999-04-09

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.2 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This rise follows a 0.4-percent decline in February and a 0.5-percent increase in January. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods rose 0.3 percent, following a 0.5- percent drop in the prior month. The crude goods index advanced 1.0 percent, after a 3.4-percent decline in February. (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 Mar. 0.0 -0.2 -2.2 0.5 -1.5 -0.3 -1.4 Apr. 0.2 0.4 -0.4 0.1 -0.9 0 1.3 May -0.1 -0.5 0.4 0.1 -0.8 -0.1 -0.6 June -0.2 -0.1 -0.8 -0.1 -0.7 -0.3 -2.7 July 0.2 0.5 -0.1 0.2 -0.2 0 0.1 Aug.