May 21, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer durables prices flat in 2000

In 2000, prices paid by consumers for durable commodities were unchanged, after falling in the three previous years.

[Chart data—TXT]

Prices for consumer durables had decreased by 1.2 percent in 1999, by 0.5 percent in 1998, and by 1.5 percent in 1997. The 1997 decline was the first for consumer durables since 1965.

Examples of consumer durables are furniture, televisions, new vehicles, and personal computers. Furniture prices were up by 0.4 percent and television prices down by 10.7 percent last year. Prices of new vehicles were unchanged and prices of personal computers and peripheral equipment fell by 22.7 percent.

These data are produced by the BLS Consumer Price Index program. For additional information on consumer price changes, see "Consumer inflation higher in 2000," by Todd Wilson, Monthly Labor Review, April 2001. Annual percent changes are December-to-December changes.