(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1999-08-13

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.2 percent in July, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This advance followed a 0.1-percent decline in June and a 0.2-percent rise in May. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy showed no change in July, after falling 0.2 percent a month ago. Prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods registered a 0.6-percent advance, following a 0.4-percent gain a month earlier. The crude goods index decreased 0.2 percent, after increasing 1.4 percent in the prior month. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Finish ed goods Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediate Crude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1998 July 0.2 0.5 -0.1 0.2 -0.2 0.0 0.1 Aug. -.3 -.3 -1.9 0 -.8 -.3 -4.2 Sept.