November 13, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Decline in producer prices in October

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased 1.6 percent in October, seasonally adjusted. This decline followed two consecutive monthly increases of 0.4 percent. 

[Chart data—TXT]

Price decreases for energy goods, passenger cars, light trucks, and consumer foods led the decline in the finished goods index in October.

Among finished goods, prices for finished energy goods decreased 7.7 percent, following a 0.9-percent gain in September. The index for finished consumer foods fell 0.4 percent, after rising 0.2 percent in September. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy turned down 0.5 percent, after posting a 0.3-percent gain in September.

For the first 10 months of 2001, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased at a 0.8-percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), after rising 3.6 percent for the 2000 calendar year. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy rose at a 0.8-percent SAAR for the first 10 months of 2001, after posting a 1.3-percent gain in 2000.

From October 2000 to October 2001, prices for finished goods fell 0.4 percent. 

Because of the recent disruptions to mail service in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, the response rate for the October PPI was reduced to approximately 80 percent of its normal level. A review was undertaken to evaluate the impact of lower response rates on survey estimates. No unusual effects were found.

These data are a product of the BLS Producer Price Index program. Find out more in the "Producer Price Indexes, October 2001", news release USDL 01-404. All producer price indexes are routinely subject to revision once, 4 months after original publication, to reflect the availability of late reports and corrections by respondents.