(202) 606-7705 Release Is Embargoed Until — 1996-01-31

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.5 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This index also rose 0.5 percent in November after edging down 0.1 percent in October. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods moved up 0.2 percent in December after showing no change in the previous month. Crude material prices declined 0.2 percent following a 1.6 percent advance in November. (See table A.) Among finished goods in December, the index for energy goods turned up 3.3 percent following a 0.5 percent decrease a month earlier. Price increases for finished consumer foods slowed from 1.2 percent in November to 0.1 percent in December. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.1 percent, following an advance of 0.4 percent in November. Table A.