(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2006-03-21

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 1.4 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This decrease followed a 0.3-percent gain in January and a 0.6-percent increase in December. At the earlier stages of processing, the intermediate goods index turned down 0.3 percent, after rising 1.2 percent in the previous month, and prices for crude goods dropped 9.2 percent, following a 0.5-percent decrease in January. (See table A.) 2005 Feb. 0.5 0.6 1.9 0.1 4.7 0.6 -0.7 Mar. .8 .6 3.0 .1 5.0 .9 4.7 Apr. .5 -.1 2.1 .3 4.8 .7 2.7 May -.2 -.2 -1.6 .2 3.6 -.3 -3.1 June .1 -.7 1.5 -.1 3.7 .2 -1.7 July .8 -.7 3.9 .3 4.7 1.0 5.1 Aug. .5 -.2 3.0 0 5.3 .5 3.5 Sept. 1.4 1.2 5.4 .2 6.9 2.3 10.5 Oct. .8 r .1 r 4.3 -.3 5.9 r 3.0 r 5.7 Nov.