For Current And Historical This Release Is Embargoed — 1996-02-01

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent before seasonal adjustment in December to a level of 153.5 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in December, the CPI-U increased 2.5 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) was unchanged in December, prior to seasonal adjustment. The December 1995 CPI-W level of 150.9 was 2.5 percent higher than the index in December 1994. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in December. The energy index, which declined 0.9 percent in November, increased 1.2 percent in December and accounted for over 80 percent of the acceleration in the overall CPI-U. The index for motor fuels rose 2.5 percent in December, following a 2.2 percent drop in November.