(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2005-09-13

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 0.6 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 1.0-percent gain in July and no change in June. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods advanced 0.7 percent, after moving up 1.0 percent in the preceding month. The crude goods index climbed 2.3 percent in August, following a 6.7-percent rise in July. (See table A.) Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina struck Florida and the Gulf Coast after the Producer Price Index's August pricing date, and therefore did not affect the PPI in August. The PPI pricing date for September 2005 is Tuesday, September 13. 2005 Jan. .1 -.5 -1.0 .7 4.1 .3 -2.0 Feb. .4 .6 1.8 -.1 4.7 .6 -1.0 Mar. .8 .6 3.3 .2 5.0 1.0 4.7 Apr.