B.)

Prices for intermediate energy goods rose 0.7 percent in August after edging down 0.1  percent in July.  The jet fuels index climbed 6.7 percent compared with a 5.3-percent decline a month earlier.  Prices for diesel fuel and residual fuel also moved up after decreasing in July.  The index for industrial natural gas increased more than it had in the previous month.  Alternatively, gasoline prices fell 2.2 percent subsequent to a 0.7- percent advance in July.  The index for commercial electric power also turned down in  August.  Prices for liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas to electric utilities advanced less than they had in the previous month.

The index for materials and components for construction increased 0.4 percent in August following a 0.7-percent gain in July.  Prices for concrete products inched up 0.1 percent after advancing 1.4 percent a month earlier.  The indexes for steel mill products, paving mixtures and blocks, plumbing fixtures and brass fittings, and plastic construction products also rose less than they had in the prior month.  Prices for softwood lumber fell more than they had in July.  The indexes for plywood and millwork turned down in August.  Conversely, prices for nonferrous wire and cable moved up 3.3 percent following a 1.0-percent decline in July.  The asphalt felts and coatings index advanced in August after remaining unchanged in the previous month.

The materials for durable manufacturing index rose 0.4 percent in August after moving up 2.3 percent in July.  The rate of increase for the cold rolled steel sheet and strip index slowed from 8.6 percent in July to 0.8 percent in August.  Prices for hot rolled steel sheet and strip also advanced less than in the prior month.   The indexes for primary nonferrous metals; hot rolled steel bars, plates and structural shapes; and copper and brass mill shapes turned down in August after rising a month earlier.  The index for softwood lumber fell more than in July.  By contrast, prices for aluminum mill shapes edged up 0.1 percent in August after declining 2.3 percent in the previous month.  Prices for semifinished steel mill products increased more than they had a month earlier.

The materials for nondurable manufacturing index edged up 0.2 percent in August, the same rate as in July.  In August, rising prices for primary and intermediate basic organic chemicals, plastic resins and materials, inedible fats and oils, stemmed and redried tobacco, and paper outweighed falling prices for fertilizer materials and ethanol.

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 0.1 percent in August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This advance followed increases of 0.1 percent in July and 0.5 percent in June. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy decreased 0.4 percent in August after declining 0.3 percent in the prior month. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods moved up 0.4 percent in August following a 0.5-percent gain in the previous month, while the crude goods index rose 2.2 percent after advancing 3.1 percent in July.

Among finished goods in August, prices for consumer foods climbed 1.4 percent and the index for energy goods moved up 0.3 percent. These increases slightly outweighed falling prices for consumer goods other than foods and energy and for capital equipment, which fell 0.5 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods rose 0.1 percent in August to 162.1 (1982 = 100). From August 2005 to August 2006, prices for finished goods advanced 3.7 percent. Over the same period, the index for finished energy goods jumped 13.2 percent, prices for finished consumer foods moved up 2.8 percent, and the index for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.9 percent. At the earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods climbed 8.8 percent, and the crude goods index rose 5.3 percent for the 12 months ended August 2006.

 

The index for finished energy goods increased 0.3 percent in August following a 1.3-percent gain in July.  Prices for liquefied petroleum gas rose 0.9 percent after climbing 11.5 percent in the prior month.  The index for residential electric power also moved up less in August than it had in July.  Gasoline prices turned down following advances in the preceding month.  Alternatively, the index for residential natural gas increased 1.6 percent in August after rising 0.9 percent a month earlier.  Prices for home heating oil and diesel fuel turned up following declines in July.

The index for finished consumer goods other than foods and energy decreased 0.5 percent in August after moving down 0.3 percent in July. Passenger car prices fell 2.6 percent in August following a 0.8-percent decline a month earlier.  The indexes for pharmaceutical preparations and light motor trucks also decreased more than they had in July.  Prices for
alcoholic beverages, tires, and periodical circulation turned down in August after rising in the preceding month.  Conversely, the index for men’s and boys’ apparel advanced 1.2 percent following a 0.6-percent decline in July.  Prices for newspaper circulation and household appliances also increased in August after falling in the previous month.

The capital equipment index decreased 0.3 percent in August after moving down 0.2 percent in July.  Leading the August decline, prices for light motor trucks dropped 3.4 percent.  The indexes for passenger cars, electronic computers, and communication and related equipment also fell in August.  By contrast, prices for civilian aircraft, industrial material handling equipment, transformers and power regulators, truck trailers, and heavy motor trucks increased in August.

Intermediate goods
The Producer Price Index for Intermediate Materials, Supplies, and Components advanced 0.4 percent in August following a 0.5-percent gain in July.  In August, rising prices for energy goods, materials and components for construction, and materials for both durable and nondurable manufacturing outweighed falling prices for foods and feeds.  The index for intermediate goods excluding foods and energy moved up 0.4 percent in August following a 0.7- percent increase a month earlier.  (See table