February 2009 Producer Price Index — 2009-03-17

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.1 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This rise followed a 0.8-percent increase in January and a 1.9-percent decline in December. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods decreased 0.9 percent in February after falling 0.7 percent in the previous month, and the index for crude materials declined 4.5 percent following a 2.9-percent decrease in January. (See table A.) The slower rate of increase in finished goods prices was led by the index for energy goods, which rose 1.3 percent in February after climbing 3.7 percent in the preceding month. Capital equipment prices also moved up less, rising 0.1 percent after increasing 0.5 percent in January. The index for consumer foods fell 1.6 percent in February following a 0.4-percent decrease a month earlier.