For Current And Historical Material In This — 1998-10-16

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent in September, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 163.6 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in September, the CPI- U has increased 1.5 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also rose 0.1 percent in September, prior to seasonal adjustment. The September 1998 CPI-W level of 160.2 was 1.2 percent higher than the index in September 1997. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U was unchanged in September, following increases of 0.2 percent in each of the preceding two months. In September, the food index was unchanged. Prices for food at home fell 0.2 percent, as declines in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs more than offset another sharp increase in prices for dairy products.