September 17, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices increase 0.3 percent in August

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in August, following a 0.2-percent increase in July.

[Chart data—TXT]

In August, energy costs registered their largest advance since March, increasing 2.7 percent. Within energy, the index for petroleum-based energy rose 5.6 percent, while the index for energy services decreased 0.1 percent.

The index for food rose 0.3 percent with the index for food at home up 0.4 percent. Increases in the indexes for dairy products and for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs accounted for nearly 90 percent of the August rise in grocery store food prices.

The index for all items less food and energy, which increased 0.2 percent in July, rose 0.1 percent in August. Smaller increases in the indexes for shelter and medical care accounted for most of the deceleration in the all items less food and energy index.

For the 12-month period ended in August, the CPI-U increased 2.2 percent (as shown in the chart).

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Find out more in "Consumer Price Index: August 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 03-486.