For Current And Historical Material In This — 1999-08-17

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in July, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 166.7 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in July, the CPI-U increased 2.1 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.3 in July, prior to seasonal adjustment. The July level of 163.3 was 2.2 percent higher than the index in July 1998. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.3 percent in July, following two consecutive months of no change. Energy costs, which declined in each of the preceding two months, rose 2.1 percent, accounting for almost half of the July advance in the overall CPI. The index for petroleum-based energy rose 4.0 percent in July, and the index for energy services increased 0.6 percent.