May 15, 2009 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

PPI in April 2009

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 0.3 percent in April, seasonally adjusted. This rise followed a 1.2-percent decline in March and a 0.1-percent increase in February.

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

The index for finished consumer foods moved up 1.5 percent in April following a 0.7-percent decline in the prior month. Prices for eggs for fresh use climbed 43.7 percent compared with a 9.5-percent decrease a month earlier.

Prices for finished energy goods inched down 0.1 percent in April subsequent to a 5.5-percent decline in the previous month.

The index for finished goods less foods and energy edged up 0.1 percent in April following no change in the previous month.

From April 2008 to April 2009, prices for finished goods fell 3.7 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Producer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Producer Price Indexes — April 2009" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0510. 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.