(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-10-10

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.5 percent in September, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed a rise of 0.3 percent in August. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.4 percent in September after inching up 0.1 percent in the prior month. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods rose 0.3 percent in September after increasing 0.1 percent in the previous month. The index for crude materials increased 0.6 percent after rising 0.7 percent in August. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Finish ed goods Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediateCrude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1996 Sept. 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.1 3.0 0.4 -2.6 Oct. 0.4 0.8 1.7 -0.1 3.1 -0.2 -0.7 Nov.