August 19, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
No change in producer prices in
1998
Prices received by domestic
producers of finished goods showed no change last year, after falling 1.2 percent in 1997.
![Annual percent changes for finished goods, Producer Price Index, 1994-98](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925102542im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/1999/Aug/wk3/art04.gif)
[Chart data—TXT]
A decline in the energy index restrained the growth of
producer prices in 1998. Energy prices were down by 11.7 percent, while food prices were
barely changed, with a rise of 0.1 percent. For items other than food and energy, prices
increased by 2.5 percent in 1998.
The Producer Price Index for finished goods last rose in 1996, when it was up by 2.8
percent. This gain reflected an 11.7-percent increase in energy prices and a
3.4-percent rise in food prices. Prices of goods other than food and energy advanced by
just 0.6 percent in 1996. The rise in prices of finished goods in 1996 was the biggest
gain in the past eight years.
Data on prices received by producers come from the BLS Producer
Price Index program. More information is available in the BLS publication "PPI
Detailed Report: Data for 1998." Annual percent changes are December-to-December
changes. Note that this edition of The Editor’s Desk updates an article
that appeared here earlier this year: "Producer
prices edged down 0.1 percent in 1998" (01/14/1999). The Producer Price Index has
been revised since the prior article appeared in January.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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