(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1996-09-12

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.3 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. For July, the index registered no change, which followed a 0.2-percent increase in June. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods rose 0.2 percent in August after declining 0.3 percent in the prior month. The Crude Goods Price Index rose 0.2 percent following a 2.0-percent increase in July. (See table A.) Among finished goods in August, prices for energy turned up after falling in July. The index for finished consumer foods rose more in August than a month earlier. By contrast, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy fell 0.1 percent after rising 0.1 percent in July. Table A.