(202) 606-7705 This Release Is Embargoed — 1998-11-13

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.2 percent in October, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This increase followed a rise of 0.3 percent in September and a decline of 0.4 percent in August. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy inched up 0.1 percent in October, after advancing 0.4 percent in the prior month. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods declined 0.2 percent, the same as in September. The crude goods index rose 1.7 percent, after a 1.6-percent decline in the previous month. (See table A.) Among finished goods, prices for finished energy goods turned up 1.2 percent, after edging down 0.1 percent in September. The index for finished consumer foods rose 0.4 percent for the second consecutive month. Prices for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy and capital equipment were unchanged, after advancing in the prior month. Table A.