The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.6 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This decrease followed a 0.9-percent advance in December and a 1.8-percent jump in November. At the earlier stages of processing, prices for intermediate goods moved down 0.7 percent compared with a 0.5-percent increase in the prior month. The crude goods index decreased 6.3 percent after rising 2.8 percent in December.

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Among finished goods, prices for energy goods fell 4.6 percent in January following a 2.2-percent rise in the prior month. The rate of increase in the finished consumer foods index slowed to 1.1 percent in January from 1.5 percent in December. By contrast, prices for finished goods other than foods and energy advanced 0.2 percent for the second consecutive month.

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Before seasonal adjustment, the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.2 percent in January to 160.2 (1982 = 100). From January 2006 to January 2007, prices for finished goods edged up 0.2 percent. Over the same period, the finished consumer foods index advanced 2.7 percent, and prices for finished goods other than foods and energy moved up 1.8 percent. Conversely, the index for finished energy goods fell 7.3 percent.

For the 12 months ended January 2007, intermediate goods prices increased 0.9 percent, while the index for crude goods decreased 8.0 percent.

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Finished goods

Finished energy goods prices declined 4.6 percent in January compared with a 2.2-percent advance in December. The gasoline index dropped 13.0 percent following a 5.0-percent increase in the previous month. Prices for liquefied petroleum gas, home heating oil, residential natural gas, and diesel fuel also turned down after rising in December. Alternatively, the residential electric power index increased 0.4 percent in January following a 0.3-percent rise a month earlier.

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The increase in the index for finished consumer foods slowed to 1.1 percent in January from 1.5 percent in the previous month. The index for processed young chickens rose 4.6 percent after climbing 9.1 percent in December. Prices for processed fruits and vegetables also rose less than they had in the prior month. The indexes for fresh fruits and melons and for fresh and dry vegetables turned down in January following advances a month earlier. By contrast, beef and veal prices moved up 3.3 percent in January after falling 2.4 percent in the preceding month. The indexes for pork and bakery products also turned up in January, while prices for dairy products rose more than they had in December.

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The index for finished goods other than foods and energy increased 0.2 percent in January after moving up at the same rate in December. In January, rising prices for pharmaceutical preparations; civilian aircraft; cigarettes; women’s, girls’, and infants’ apparel; heavy motor trucks; household appliances; book publishing; and commercial furniture outweighed price declines for light motor trucks, electronic computers, and alcoholic beverages.

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Intermediate goods

The Producer Price Index for Intermediate Materials, Supplies, and Components declined 0.7 percent in January following a 0.5-percent increase in December. The majority of this downturn is attributable to prices for intermediate energy goods, which fell in January after rising a month earlier. The index for materials for durable manufacturing decreased more than it had in December. Conversely, prices for materials for nondurable manufacturing declined less than they had a month earlier. The index for materials and components for construction turned up in January, and prices for intermediate foods and feeds increased more than they had in December. The index for intermediate goods other than foods and energy was unchanged for the second consecutive month.

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Prices for materials for durable manufacturing moved down 0.6 percent in January following a 0.2-percent decrease in December. The index for cold rolled steel sheet and strip fell 0.4 percent after advancing 3.6 percent in the prior month. Prices for hot rolled steel sheet and strip and for prepared paint also turned down in January. The index for copper and brass mill shapes declined more than it had in December. By contrast, prices for semifinished steel mill products edged up 0.2 percent compared with a 6.5-percent decrease in the previous month. The index for softwood lumber also turned up in January. Prices for hot rolled steel bars, plates, and structural shapes and for thermoplastic resins declined less than they had a month earlier, while the index for aluminum mill shapes rose more than it had in December.

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Prices for materials for nondurable manufacturing inched down 0.1 percent in January following a 0.5-percent decrease in the prior month. The index for plastic resins and materials moved down 0.4 percent subsequent to a 2.7-percent drop a month earlier. Prices for finished fabrics also declined less than they had in December. The indexes for medicinal and botanical chemicals, synthetic rubber, and paint materials turned up in January after decreasing in the previous month. Woodpulp prices rose more than they had in the prior month. By contrast, the industrial chemicals index decreased 1.1 percent after advancing 0.8 percent in December. Prices for inedible fats and oils and for paper also turned down in January.

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The index for materials and components for construction edged up 0.2 percent in January following a 0.1-percent decline in the preceding month. Prices for softwood lumber turned up 5.7 percent after decreasing 0.5 percent in December. The indexes for asphalt felts and coatings and for concrete products advanced more than they had in the previous month. Prices for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment increased in January after no change a month earlier, while the index for gypsum products fell less than it had in December. Alternatively, prices for nonferrous wire and cable moved down 4.6 percent following a 2.6-percent decrease in the prior month. The index for plastic construction products also declined more than it had in December, and prices for mineral wool for structural insulation turned down in January.

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The increase in the index for intermediate foods and feeds accelerated to 1.9 percent in January from 1.5 percent a month earlier. &nbsp ; Prices for confectionery materials rose 12.5 percent compared with a 0.1-percent decline in December. Similarly, the indexes for beef and veal, pork, and for refined sugar and byproducts also turned up in January after falling a month earlier. Prices for fluid milk products advanced more than they had in the prior month. By contrast, the prepared animal feeds index moved up 1.2 percent in January following a 4.0-percent gain in the previous month. Prices for processed young chickens and for shortening and cooking oils also increased less than they had in December.

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Crude goods

The basic industrial materials indexmoved up 1.6 percent following a 0.5-percent gain in the previous month. Price increases for iron and steel scrap accelerated to 11.8 percent in January from 3.8 percent in December. The indexes for wastepaper; construction sand, gravel, and crushed stone; and phosphates also advanced more than they had a month earlier. Iron ore prices fell less in January than in the prior month. Alternatively, aluminum base scrap prices fell 4.6 percent following a 1.5-percent rise in the prior month. The indexes for gold ores and for softwood logs, bolts, and timber also turned down after increasing in December. Copper base scrap prices decreased more in January than they had a month earlier.

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More details here.

Economic Indicators at MDM’s Databank.

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