(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1999-12-10

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.2 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This advance followed a 0.1-percent decline in October and a 1.1-percent rise in September. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy showed no change in November, after registering a 0.3-percent gain a month earlier. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods increased 0.3 percent for the third consecutive month. The crude goods index rose 4.0 percent, following a 1.6- percent drop in the previous month. (See table A.) Table A. Monthly and annual percent changes in selected stage-of- processing price indexes, seasonally adjusted Finish ed goods Change in Except finished Inter- goods foods from 12 mediate Crude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1998 Nov. -0.2 -0.4 -1.3 0.1 -0.6 -0.2 -0.1 Dec. .5 0 -1.8 1.0 0 -.7 -3.6 1999 Jan.