For Current And Historical Material In This — 1999-04-13

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 165.0 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in March, the CPI-U has increased 1.7 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.2 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March level of 161.4 was 1.7 percent higher than the index in March 1998. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in March, following increases of 0.1 percent in each of the preceding three months. The food index, which increased 0.1 percent in February, declined 0.2 percent in March. The index for food at home fell 0.5 percent in March, largely as a result of a 2.2 percent decline in the index for fruits and vegetables.