For Current And Historical Material In This — 1999-05-14

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.7 percent in April, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 166.2 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in April, the CPI-U increased 2.3 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.8 percent in April, prior to seasonal adjustment. The April level of 162.7 was 2.3 percent higher than the index in April 1998. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.7 percent in April, its largest monthly advance since an increase of the same magnitude in October 1990. About half of the April advance was attributable to a record increase in gasoline prices. Overall energy costs rose 6.1 percent; the index for petroleum-based energy increased 14.0 percent, while the index for energy services decreased 0.1 percent.