(202) 691-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 2000-06-09

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods showed no change in May, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed a 0.3-percent decrease in April and a 1.0-percent gain in March. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy rose 0.2 percent, after increasing 0.1 percent for two consecutive months. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods fell 0.1 percent, the same rate as last month. The crude goods index turned up 3.2 percent, following a 2.5-percent decline a month earlier. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediate Crude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1999 May 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 1.4 0.3 5.7 June .1 .6 -.1 0 1.5 .3 .2 July .2 -.4 2.7 -.1 1.5 .7 .2 Aug.