October 2012 Producer Price Index — 2012-11-14

The Producer Price Index for finished goods declined 0.2 percent in October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Prices for finished goods increased 1.1 percent in September and 1.7 percent in August. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods edged down 0.1 percent in October, and the crude goods index moved up 0.9 percent. On an unadjusted basis, the finished goods index advanced 2.3 percent for the 12 months ended October 2012, the largest rise since a 2.8-percent increase for the 12 months ended March 2012. (See table A.) In October, the decrease in the finished goods index is attributable to prices for finished energy goods and the index for finished goods less foods and energy, which declined 0.5 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. By contrast, prices for finished consumer foods advanced 0.4 percent.