PPI in September 2006

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods fell 1.3 percent in September, seasonally adjusted. This decline followed increases of 0.1 percent in both August and July.

[Chart data—TXT]

Among finished goods in September, prices for energy goods declined 8.4 percent compared with a 0.3-percent increase in August. The finished consumer foods index rose 0.7 percent after advancing 1.4 percent in the prior month. By contrast, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy climbed 0.6 percent in September following a 0.4-percent decline in August.

During the third quarter of 2006, prices for finished goods decreased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 4.4 percent after moving up at a 6.4-percent SAAR during the second quarter of 2006. Excluding prices for foods and energy, the finished goods index edged down at a 0.3-percent SAAR for the 3 months ended September 2006 subsequent to rising at a 2.3-percent SAAR for the 3 months ended June 2006.

From September 2005 to September 2006, prices for finished goods advanced 0.9 percent, as shown in the chart.

These data are from the BLS Producer Price Index program. To learn more, see "Producer Price Indexes — September 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1812. 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.