December 14, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Producer prices decrease again in November

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased 0.6 percent in November, seasonally adjusted. This decline followed a 1.6-percent drop in October and a 0.4-percent gain in September.

[Chart data—TXT]

Among finished goods in November, the index for finished energy goods fell 3.8 percent, following a 7.7-percent decrease in October. The index for finished consumer foods fell at a 0.8-percent pace in November, following a 0.4-percent rate of decline in October. The index for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy increased 0.3 percent in November, following a 0.4-percent decrease in the prior month. 

For the first 11 months of 2001, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased at a 1.3-percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), after rising 3.6 percent in 2000. Prices for finished goods other than foods and energy advanced at a 1.0-percent SAAR for the first 11 months of 2001, after posting a 1.3-percent gain for the previous calendar year.

From November 2000 to November 2001, finished goods prices decreased 1.1 percent.

These data are a product of the BLS Producer Price Index program. Find out more in the "Producer Price Indexes, November 2001", news release USDL 01-466. 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.