(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1996-06-11

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased 0.1 percent in May, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed increases of 0.4 percent in April and 0.5 percent in March. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods increased 0.5 percent after moving up 0.3 percent in the previous month. The Crude Goods Price Index advanced 1.3 percent after increasing 5.3 percent in April. (See table A.) Among finished goods in May, the index for energy goods turned down, following increases in both of the previous 2 months. The index for finished consumer foods was unchanged after moving down in April. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy also remained unchanged in May after edging up slightly in each of the previous 3 months. Table A.