(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2005-04-19

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.7 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a 0.4-percent rise in February and a 0.3-percent gain in January. As they did in February, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy edged up 0.1 percent in March. At the earlier stages of processing, the intermediate goods index rose 1.0 percent, after climbing 0.7 percent in the prior month, and prices for crude goods turned up 4.3 percent in March, after declining 1.6 percent a month earlier. (See table A.) 2005 Jan. .3 -.2 -1.0 .8 4.2 .4 -2.0 Feb. .4 .8 1.4 .1 4.7 .7 -1.6 Mar. .7 .3 3.3 .1 4.9 1.0 4.3 r=revised.