June 17, 2009 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

PPI in May 2009

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.2 percent in May, seasonally adjusted.

Percent change from 12 months ago, Producer Price Index for Finished Goods, not seasonally adjusted, May 2000-May 2009
[Chart data—TXT]

The index for finished energy goods turned up 2.9 percent in May after decreasing 0.1 percent in the preceding month. Gasoline prices rose 13.9 percent following a 2.6-percent increase in April.

Prices for finished consumer foods fell 1.6 percent in May following a 1.5-percent advance in the prior month. The index for eggs for fresh use declined 27.0 percent after jumping 43.7 percent in April.

The index for finished goods less foods and energy edged down 0.1 percent in May following a 0.1-percent increase in the prior month. Prices for pharmaceutical preparations declined 0.3 percent after rising 1.3 percent in April.

From May 2008 to May 2009, prices for finished goods decreased 5.0 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Producer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Producer Price Indexes — May 2009" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0677. 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.