Net output price indexes

Mining, Utilities, and Manufacturing Industries. The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Mining, Utilities, and Manufacturing Industries increased 1.1 percent in May following a 0.2-percent rise in April. (Net output price indexes are not seasonally adjusted.) Prices received by petroleum refineries climbed 13.9 percent in May after advancing 11.5 percent in the prior month. The index for the livestock slaughtering industry also rose more than it had in April. Prices received by the industries for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution; poultry and livestock feed manufacturing; and gasoline engine and engine parts manufacturing turned up in May. The indexes for natural gas distribution and phosphatic fertilizer manufacturing fell less than they had in April. By contrast, partially offsetting the faster rate of increase in prices received by mining, utilities, and manufacturing industries, the index for pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing declined 0.4 percent in May following a 1.7- percent rise a month earlier. Prices received by producers of automobiles, light trucks, and utility vehicles and by soft drink manufacturers also decreased after advancing in April. In May, the index for total mining, utilities, and manufacturing industries was 105.2 (December 1986 = 100), 8.0 percent below its year-ago level.

Trade Industries. The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Trade Industries fell 0.9 percent in May following a 0.5-percent decline in April. (Trade indexes measure changes in margins received by wholesalers and retailers.) Leading this faster rate of decrease, margins received by merchant wholesalers of durable goods dropped 1.2 percent after rising at the same rate in April. The margin indexes for general merchandise stores, family clothing stores, pharmacies and drug stores, new car dealers, and for radio, television, and other electronics stores also turned down in May. Conversely, margins received by supermarkets climbed 0.8 percent following a 4.8-percent decline in April. The margin indexes for electronic shopping and mail-order houses and for gasoline stations with convenience stores also turned up in May. Margins received by women''s clothing stores decreased less than they had in April. In May, the index for total trade industries was 110.4 (December 1986 = 100), 3.2 percent above its year-ago level.

Transportation and Warehousing Industries. The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Transportation and Warehousing Industries fell 0.7 percent in May after advancing 0.4 percent in April. Leading this downturn, prices received by the scheduled air transportation industry group dropped 6.1 percent in May following a 1.3-percent increase in the previous month. The indexes for local specialized freight trucking of new goods and inland water transportation of freight also declined after rising in April. By contrast, prices received by the United States Postal Service moved up 2.9 percent in May after no change a month earlier.
The index for couriers was unchanged after falling in April. Prices received by the general freight trucking industry group and the nonscheduled air passenger chartering industry turned up in May. The index for line-haul railroads increased more than it had in April. In May, the index for total transportation and warehousing industries was 106.3 (December 1986 = 100), 5.7 percent below its year-ago level.

Traditional Service Industries. The Producer Price Index for the Net Output of Total Traditional Service Industries rose 0.5 percent in May, the same as in April. In May, higher prices received by the depository credit intermediation industry group, telecommunication carriers, general medical and surgical hospitals, the accommodation sector, investment bankers and securities dealers, insurance carriers, and the portfolio management industry outweighed lower prices received by the temporary help services industry and by management consultants. In May, the index for total traditional service industries was 102.5 (December 1986 = 100), 0.5 percent above its year-ago level.


Available at:

http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ppi.nr0.htm