December 17, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer Price Index unchanged in November

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in November after decreasing 0.3 percent in October. 

[Chart data—TXT]

The energy index, which declined 6.3 percent in October, fell 4.4 percent in November. The index for petroleum-based energy declined 9.4 percent, while the index for energy services rose 0.1 percent. The food index, which rose 0.5 percent in October, declined 0.1 percent in November. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.4 percent, following increases of 0.2 percent in each of the four preceding months.

During the first 11 months of 2001, the CPI-U rose at a 1.9 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 3.4 percent for all of 2000.

For the 12-month period ended in November 2001, the CPI-U increased 1.9 percent. 

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in Consumer Price Indexes, November 2001, news release USDL 01-467.