(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-02-14

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.3 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed increases of 0.6 percent in December and 0.2 percent in November. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods rose 0.2 percent in January after increasing 0.3 percent in the month prior. The Crude Goods Price Index advanced 5.2 percent following a gain of 4.9 percent in December. (See table A.) Among finished goods in January, the index for energy goods turned down after rising in each of the previous six months. Prices for finished consumer foods declined 1.0 percent in January after falling 0.1 percent in the previous month. Prices for finished goods other than food and energy remained unchanged after increasing 0.1 percent in December. Table A.