(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2002-02-15

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods edged up 0.1 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase follows a 0.6-percent drop in December and a 0.5-percent decline in November. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by intermediate goods manufacturers fell 0.1 percent, following a 0.8-percent decline in the prior month. The crude goods index increased 3.7 percent, after decreasing 9.6 percent in December. (See table A.) (Effective with this month's data release, the PPI's weights have been updated to 1997 shipment values. See note on page 7.) NOTE: Some of the percent changes shown here and elsewhere in this release may differ from those previously reported because seasonal adjustment factors have been recalculated to reflect developments during 2001. In addition, indexes for September 2001 have been recalculated to incorporate late reports and corrections by respondents.