The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods decreased 0.4% in September, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This decline followed a 0.9-percent drop in August and a 1.2-percent increase in July. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods fell 1.2% after decreasing 1.0% a month earlier, and the decline in the crude goods index slowed to 7.9% in September from 11.9% in the preceding month.
 
The slower rate of decline in finished goods prices was led by the index for energy goods, which decreased 2.9% after falling 4.6% in August. Price advances for finished goods less foods and energy accelerated to 0.4% from 0.2% a month earlier. Conversely, the rise in the index for finished …