August 2012 Consumer and Producer Price Indices

Click image for larger version

The seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index increased 0.6 percent in August. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was the largest since June 2009. About 80 percent of the increase was accounted for by the gasoline index, which rose 9.0 percent and was the major factor in the energy index rising sharply in August after declining in each of the four previous months.

The 12-month change in the index for all items was 1.7 percent in August, an increase from the July figure of 1.4 percent. The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.9 percent for the 12 months ending August, a slight decline from the 2.1 percent figure in July and its smallest increase since July 2011.

The seasonally adjusted Producer Price Index for finished goods (PPI) rose 1.7 percent in August. This increase followed advances of 0.3 percent in July and 0.1 percent in June, and marks the largest monthly rise since a 1.9 percent increase in June 2009. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by manufacturers of intermediate goods moved up 1.1 percent in August, and the crude goods index rose 5.8 percent. On an unadjusted basis, prices for finished goods climbed 2.0 percent for the 12 months ended August 2012, the largest advance since a 2.8 percent increase for the 12 months ended March 2012.
 

Click image for larger version

Prices of intermediate materials; pulp, paper & allied products; and wood fiber are lower than they were a year earlier, while the other categories are higher.
 

Click image for larger version