(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-09-12

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.3 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed declines in each of the 7 previous months. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.1 percent after falling 0.1 percent in July and rising 0.1 percent in June. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods rose 0.1 percent in August after decreasing 0.2 percent in the previous month. The index for crude goods turned up 0.7 percent after falling 0.1 percent in July. (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 mediateCrude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1996 Aug. 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.1 3.0 0.2 0.6 Sept. 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.1 3.0 0.4 -2.6 Oct.