May 15, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Consumer prices in April 2008

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) advanced 0.2 percent in April, following a 0.3-percent increase in March.

[Chart data—TXT]

The index for energy was virtually unchanged after advancing 1.9 percent in March. In April, the index for petroleum-based energy fell 1.6 percent, offsetting a 2.5-percent increase in the index for energy services.

The food index rose 0.9 percent in April. The index for food at home increased 1.5 percent, reflecting substantial increases in all six major grocery store food groups.

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.1 percent in April, following a 0.2-percent rise in March. Downturns in the indexes for public transportation, for household furnishings and operations, and for recreation, coupled with a larger decline in the index for lodging away from home, more than offset an upturn in the index for apparel.

For the 12 months ended in April 2008, the CPI-U rose 3.9 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index: April 2008," (PDF) (HTML) news release USDL 08-0664.