(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-04-11

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.1 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed decreases of 0.4 percent in February and 0.3 percent in January. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods fell 0.6 percent in March after declining 0.1 percent the previous month. The Crude Goods Price Index dropped 6.9 percent in March following a 5.9-percent decrease in February. (See table A.) Among finished goods in March, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy turned up 0.4 percent following a 0.1-percent decline in the previous month. The index for finished consumer foods also increased after falling in February. By contrast, prices for energy goods decreased more than a month ago. Table A.