May 17, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

CPI in April

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in April, following a 0.5 percent increase in March.

[Chart data—TXT]

Energy costs, which advanced sharply in each of the first three months of the year, increased 0.1 percent in April. Within energy, the index for energy services increased 0.5 percent, while the index for petroleum-based energy decreased 0.3 percent.

The index for food rose 0.2 percent in April, the same as in each of the preceding two months. The index for all items less food and energy, which increased 0.4 percent in March, advanced 0.3 percent in April.

During the first four months of 2004, the CPI-U rose at a 4.4 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 1.9 percent for all of 2003. The index for energy, which increased 6.9 percent in 2003, increased at a 28.3 percent SAAR in the first four months of 2004.

For the 12-month period ended in April, the CPI-U rose 2.3 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. For more information, see Consumer Price Index: April 2004 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-875.