March 2008 Producer Price Index — 2008-04-15

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 1.1 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This advance followed a 0.3-percent rise in February and a 1.0-percent increase in January. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods rose 2.3 percent after increasing 0.8 percent a month earlier, and the crude goods index advanced 8.0 percent following a 3.7-percent rise in February. (See table A.) r=revised. Some of the figures shown above and elsewhere in this release may differ from those previously reported because data for November 2007 have been revised to reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents. Among finished goods, the increase in the index for energy goods accelerated to 2.9 percent in March from 0.8 percent in the preceding month. Prices for finished consumer foods turned up 1.2 percent after declining 0.5 percent in February.