For Current And Historical Material In This — 1998-12-15

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in November, before seasonal adjustment, remaining at a level of 164.0 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in November, the CPI- U has increased 1.5 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in November, prior to seasonal adjustment. The November 1998 CPI-W level of 160.7 was 1.4 percent higher than the index in November 1997. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in November, the same as in October. The indexes for food and energy, which had accelerated in October, moderated in November. The food index increased 0.1 percent in November after advancing 0.6 percent in October.