November 19, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices down 0.3 percent in October

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.3 percent in October, after increasing 0.4 percent in September.

Percent change from 12 months ago, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, not seasonally adjusted, October 1992-October 2001
[Chart data—TXT]

The energy index, which rose 2.6 percent in September, fell 6.3 percent in October. The index for petroleum-based energy declined 10.2 percent and the index for energy services fell 2.5 percent. The food index rose 0.5 percent in October, following a 0.2-percent rise in September. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent for the fourth consecutive month.

During the first 10 months of 2001, the CPI-U rose at a 2.1 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 October, the CPI-U increased 2.1 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in Consumer Price Indexes, October 2001, news release USDL 01-416.

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