December 13, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Producer prices in November

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.2 percent in November, seasonally adjusted. This advance followed a 0.1-percent decline in October and a 1.1-percent rise in September.

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for finished goods other than foods and energy showed no change in November, after registering a 0.3-percent gain a month earlier. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods increased 0.3 percent for the third consecutive month. The crude goods index rose 4.0 percent, following a 1.6- percent drop in the previous month.

From November 1998 to November 1999, the finished goods index advanced 3.1 percent (unadjusted). Over the preceding 12 months, prices for finished energy goods increased 15.4 percent, prices for finished consumer foods edged up 0.4 percent, and the index for finished goods other than foods and energy rose 1.8 percent. Prices received by producers of intermediate goods gained 3.0 percent for the 12 months ended in November 1999, and the index for crude materials advanced 16.0 percent during the same period.

These data are a product of the BLS Producer Price Index program. Find out more in Producer Price Indexes, November 1999, news release USDL 99-350. 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.