October 2009 Producer Price Index — 2009-11-17

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.3 percent in October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This increase followed a 0.6-percent decline in September and a 1.7-percent rise in August. In October, at the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 0.3 percent and the crude goods index increased 5.4 percent. On an unadjusted basis, from October 2008 to October 2009, prices for finished goods fell 1.9 percent, the eleventh consecutive month of year- over-year declines. (See table A.) The October increase in the index for finished goods can be attributed to higher prices for energy and food, both of which moved up 1.6 percent. By contrast, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy declined 0.6 percent. Finished energy: The index for finished energy goods advanced 1.6 percent in October compared with a 2.4-percent drop in the previous month.