inedible fats and oils jumped 17.7 percent in November after declining 3.2 percent in the preceding month. Ethanol prices also turned up following decreases in the previous month, and the paper index moved up after no change in October.
Prices for materials for durable manufacturing fell 0.5 percent in November after moving down 0.1 percent in the previous month. Hot rolled steel sheet and strip prices dropped 14.8 percent following a 2.2-percent decrease a month earlier. The indexes for cold rolled steel sheet and strip; thermoplastic resins; hot rolled steel bars, plates, and structural shapes; and prepared paint turned down after advancing in October. The primary aluminum (except extrusion billet) index rose less than it had in the previous month. Alternatively, prices for aluminum mill shapes increased 2.5 percent following a 0.9-percent decrease in the preceding month. The index for secondary aluminum also turned up after falling in October, and prices for softwood lumber declined less in November compared with a month earlier.
The index for materials and components for construction fell 0.5 percent in November following a 0.2-percent decline in the previous month. Prices for steel mill products decreased 4.4 percent after advancing 0.5 percent in the prior month. The indexes for asphalt felts and coatings and for nonferrous wire and cable also turned down following increases in October. Prices for plastic construction products declined more than they had in the preceding month. By contrast, softwood lumber prices fell 1.6 percent after decreasing 6.8 percent a month earlier. The indexes for treated wood and for plywood turned up in November following declines in October. Millwork prices were unchanged after falling in the previous month.
Prices for containers were unchanged subsequent to a 0.3-percent advance in the preceding month. The index for paper, plastic, and foil bags turned down 0.5 percent after rising 1.1 percent a month earlier. Prices for paper boxes and containers were unchanged following increases in October. Conversely, the glass containers index rose 0.8 percent after declining 0.1 percent in the previous month.
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Economic indicators at MDM’s Databank.
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The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 2.0 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This gain followed declines of 1.6 percent in October and 1.3 percent in September. The index for finished goods other than foods and energy rose 1.3 percent in November compared with a 0.9-percent decrease in the previous month. At the earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods moved up 0.7 percent after falling 1.1 percent in the prior month, and the crude goods index increased 15.7 percent following a 10.5-percent decline in October.
The upturn in the finished goods index was broad-based and led by prices for energy goods, which climbed 6.1 percent in November after declining 5.0 percent in October. The index for finished consumer goods excluding foods and energy rose 1.1 percent following a 0.8-percent decline in the previous month. Prices for capital equipment turned up 1.4 percent after falling 0.9 percent in October. The index for finished consumer foods increased 0.1 percent in November compared with a 0.8-percent decrease a month earlier.
Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods advanced 0.8 percent in November to 159.7 (1982 = 100). From November 2005 to November 2006, prices for finished goods rose 0.9 percent. Over the same period, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy moved up 1.8 percent, the finished consumer foods index increased 0.8 percent, and prices for finished energy goods moved down 2.1 percent. For the 12 months ended November 2006, prices for intermediate goods rose 2.4 percent, while the crude goods index declined 8.5 percent.
Finished goods
The capital equipment index moved up 1.4 percent in November following a 0.9-percent decrease in the preceding month. Prices for passenger cars rose 2.2 percent subsequent to a 2.3-percent decline a month earlier. The indexes for light motor trucks, communication and related equipment, and for x-ray and electromedical equipment also turned up in November. Prices for civilian aircraft advanced after no change in October. The index for heavy motor trucks advanced more than it had in the previous month. By contrast, prices for integrating and measuring devices fell 1.1 percent after edging up 0.1 percent a month earlier. The index for commercial furniture increased less than it had in October.
The Producer Price Index for Intermediate Materials, Supplies, and Components advanced 0.7 percent in November following a 1.1-percent decline in October. Most of this upturn can be traced to prices for intermediate energy goods, which increased after falling in the previous month. The index for intermediate foods and feeds rose more in November than it had a month earlier. Conversely, prices for materials for nondurable manufacturing turned down following advances in the prior month. The indexes for materials for durable manufacturing and for materials and components for construction decreased more than they had in the preceding month. Prices for containers were unchanged in November after rising a month earlier. Excluding foods and energy, prices for intermediate goods fell 0.3 percent after no change in October.
The index for materials for nondurable manufacturing moved down 0.4 percent following a 0.2-percent advance in October. Prices for plastic resins and materials fell 2.4 percent in November after rising 0.2 percent in the preceding month. The indexes for basic inorganic chemicals and for processed yarns and threads also turned down following increases in the prior month. Prices for both primary and intermediate basic organic chemicals, as well as nitrogenates, fell more than they had a month earlier. The index for paperboard declined after no change in October. Conversely, prices for
