(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2002-03-15

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.2 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This rise followed a 0.1-percent advance in January and a 0.6-percent decrease in December. At the earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods edged down 0.1 percent in February, after a similar decline in the prior month, and the crude goods index turned down 0.8 percent, following a 3.7-percent increase in January. (See table A.) Among finished goods, the rate of increase in prices for finished consumer foods accelerated from 0.8 percent in January to 1.0 percent in February. Prices for finished energy goods also rose faster in February than in the prior month -- 0.4 percent compared with 0.1 percent. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy showed no change, compared with a 0.1-percent decline in the previous month. 2002 Jan.