December 16, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

CPI down in November

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) decreased 0.6 percent in November 2005, its largest decline since a 0.9-percent drop in July 1949.

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for energy declined for the second consecutive month, down a record 8.0 percent in November. Within energy, a 15.2-percent decrease in the index for petroleum-based energy more than offset a 2.1-percent increase in the index for energy services.

The index for food rose 0.3 percent in November, the same as in each of the preceding two months. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in November, the same as in October, after registering increases of 0.1 percent in each of the preceding five months.

For the 12 months ended in November 2005, the CPI-U rose 3.5 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index: November 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-2314.