(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1999-10-15

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 1.1 percent in September, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 0.5-percent advance in August and a 0.2-percent gain in July and represents the largest one-month increase since September 1990, when prices for finished goods rose 1.3 percent. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods gained 0.3 percent, following a 0.8-percent increase in the prior month. The crude goods index moved up 5.1 percent, after rising 4.6 percent in August. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediate Crude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1998 Sept. 0.2 0.2 -0.4 0.3 -0.9 -0.3 -1.8 Oct. .3 .4 .8 .1 -.7 -.2 2.5 Nov. -.2 -.4 -1.3 .1 -.6 -.2 -.1 Dec.