(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2003-08-14

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods inched up 0.1 percent in July, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 0.5-percent rise in June and a 0.3-percent decrease in May. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods went up 0.2 percent in July, compared with a 0.5-percent gain in June. The index for crude materials declined 2.9 percent, after climbing 4.5 percent in the prior month. (See table A.) 2003 Jan. 1.4 1.9 4.6 .3 2.5 1.2 7.6 Feb. 1.1 .4 7.4 -.1 3.3 2.0 5.2 Mar. r 1.4 r .2 r 5.4 r .7 r 4.0 2.1 r 13.0 Apr. r -1.7 r .8 r -8.5 r -.6 2.4 -2.2 r -16.0 May -.3 .1 -2.6 .1 2.5 -.8 1.7 June .5 .4 3.4 -.1 2.9 .5 4.5 July .1 -.2 .3 .2 3.0 .2 -2.9 r=revised.