(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1997-08-13

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased 0.1 percent in July, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Department of Labor reported today. This followed drops of 0.1 percent in June and 0.3 percent in May and is the seventh consecutive monthly decline in the index. Prices received by domestic producers of intermediate goods decreased in July after showing no change in the previous month. The Crude Goods Price Index fell 0.1 percent after declining 3.3 percent in June. (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 mediateCrude and months Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods (unadj.) 1996 July 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.0 2.6 -0.2 2.2 Aug. 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.1 3.0 0.2 0.6 Sept. 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.1 3.0 0.4 -2.6 Oct.