For Current And Historical Material In This — 1999-11-17

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in October, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 168.2 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in October, the CPI-U increased 2.6 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.2 in October, prior to seasonal adjustment. The October level of 165.0 was 2.7 percent higher than the index in October 1998. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in October, following a 0.4 percent increase in September. The energy index, which increased sharply in each of the preceding three months, declined 0.1 percent in October. The index for petroleum-based energy fell 0.2 percent, while the index for energy services was unchanged. For the fourth consecutive month in October, the food index increased 0.2 percent.