August 18, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices up 0.2 percent in July

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in July, the same as in June.

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs, which advanced sharply in the first quarter of 2003 before turning down in the second quarter, increased 0.4 percent in July. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy increased 1.5 percent, while the index for energy services decreased 0.5 percent. 

The index for food rose 0.1 percent with the index for food at home down 0.1 percent. Decreases in the indexes for nonalcoholic beverages and for other food at home more than offset small-to-moderate increases in the other four major food at home groups. 

The index for all items less food and energy, which was unchanged in June, increased 0.2 percent in July. The shelter index, which was virtually unchanged in June, rose 0.3 percent in July, accounting for about 85 percent of the acceleration in the all items less food and energy index.

For the 12-month period ended in July, the CPI-U increased 2.1 percent (as shown in the chart).

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in "Consumer Price Index: July 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 03-422.