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The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent before seasonal adjustment in November to a level of 153.6 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in November, the CPI-U increased 2.6 percent.
The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also declined 0.1 percent in November, prior to seasonal adjustment. The November 1995 CPI-W level of 150.9 was 2.4 percent higher than the index in November 1994.
CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U, which rose 0.3 percent in October, was unchanged in November. The energy index, which rose 0.4 percent in October after declining in each of the 3 preceding months, turned down in November, decreasing 0.9 percent. The index for motor fuels fell 2.2 percent, more than offsetting a slight increase in the index for household fuels. The food index also turned down in November- -declining 0.1 percent--after increasing 0.5 and 0.3 percent in the 2 preceding months. A 2.5 percent drop in the index for fruits and vegetables was largely responsible for the November decline. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U increased 0.1 percent after advancing 0.3 percent in October. The deceleration in November reflects a smaller increase in shelter costs coupled with declines in the indexes for apparel and for selected transportation components, including airline fares, used cars, and automobile finance charges, each of which had risen sharply early in the year.
Seasonally adjusted Un- Compound adjusted Expenditure Changes from preceding month annual rate 12-mos. Category 1995 3-mos. ended ended May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Nov. '95 Nov. '95 All Items .3 .1 .2 .1 .1 .3 .0 1.8 2.6 Food and beverages .1 .1 .2 .2 .4 .3 -.1 2.7 2.7 Housing .1 .2 .3 .3 .1 .4 .1 2.4 2.7 Apparel and upkeep -.3 -.3 .2 .3 -.2 .3 -.1 .0 -.4 Transportation .4 .4 -.4 -.6 -.1 .1 -.6 -2.3 1.7 Medical care .3 .3 .4 .4 .3 .3 .4 4.0 4.1 Entertainment .5 -.2 .3 .4 .3 .1 .5 3.9 2.9 Other goods and services .4 .4 .4 .5 .3 .3 .5 4.7 4.4 Special Indexes: Energy .5 .5 -.8 -.8 -1.4 .4 -.9 -7.4 -2.7 Food .1 .1 .2 .2 .5 .3 -.1 2.7 2.8 All items less food and energy .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .3 .1 2.5 3.0
During the first 11 months of 1995, the CPI-U rose at a 2.6 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with a 2.7 percent increase for all of 1994. The food index has risen at a 2.2 percent annual rate, while energy costs have decreased at a 2.7 percent rate. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 3.1 percent annual rate in the first 11 months of 1995. This follows a 2.6 percent increase in all of 1994.
The food and beverage index fell 0.1 percent in November. Grocery store food prices, which rose 0.6 and 0.4 percent in the 2 preceding months, declined 0.2 percent in November. Moderately large increases in most major grocery store food groups were more than offset by a 2.5 percent decline in the index for fruits and vegetables. Despite the sharp drop in November, the latter group has advanced 5.7 percent in the last 12 months, the largest increase during this period among the major grocery store food groups. In November, the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.6 percent, following increases of 0.6 and 1.0 percent in the 2 preceding months. Egg prices increased 3.5 percent in November and have risen 16.4 percent since June. Beef prices rose 0.5 percent, and the index for pork increased 1.1 percent. The indexes for cereal and bakery products and dairy products each increased 0.5 percent. The index for other food at home was unchanged. The other two components of the food and beverage index--restaurant meals and alcoholic beverages--increased 0.1 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
The housing component increased 0.1 percent in November, following a 0.4 percent rise in October. Each of the three major housing groups contributed to the deceleration. Shelter costs, which rose 0.4 percent in October, increased 0.2 percent in November. Within shelter, an increase of 0.3 percent in homeowners' costs more than offset declines of 0.1 percent in both renters' costs and maintenance and repair costs. The index for fuel and utilities rose 0.2 percent in November, following a 0.6 percent increase in October. The index for household fuels rose 0.1 percent as declines in the indexes for fuel oil and natural gas-- down 0.5 and 0.3 percent, respectively--were more than offset by a 0.3 percent increase in the index for electricity. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for electricity fell 1.9 percent.) The index for other utilities and public services rose 0.1 percent, as increases in the indexes for water and sewer services, refuse collection, and cable television were partially offset by a decline in telephone long distance toll calls. The index for household furnishings and operation, reflecting price declines for most housefurnishings, fell 0.2 percent in November after increasing 0.1 percent in October.
The transportation index--down 0.6 percent in November--registered its fourth decline in the past 5 months. The indexes for motor fuel, airline fares, used cars, and automobile finance charges, each of which rose sharply during the first half of the year, have declined substantially in the second half of 1995. The index for gasoline--down 2.2 percent in November--has declined 9.0 percent since June and as of November was 6.5 percent lower than at the end of 1994 and 19.6 percent lower than its peak level of December 1990. The index for airline fares, which had increased 20.4 percent in the first half of 1995 after falling 9.5 percent in 1994, fell 4.0 percent in November and has declined 7.6 percent since June. The used car index, which rose 5.6 percent in the first half of 1995, fell 0.1 percent in November, bringing its level to a point 2.5 percent lower than in June. Automobile finance charges, which declined 1.0 percent in November, have fallen 3.9 percent in the past 5 months after increasing 7.3 percent in the first half of 1995. The index for new cars rose 0.1 percent in November, continuing the moderate rate of increase evident in this component this year. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, prices for new cars rose 1.1 percent. As of November, almost two-fifths of the new car sample was represented by 1996 models.)
The index for apparel and upkeep decreased 0.1 percent in November, following an increase of 0.3 percent in October. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, clothing prices fell 0.6 percent, reflecting pre-holiday discounting.)
Medical care costs rose 0.4 percent in November and have risen 4.1 percent in the past 12 months. The index for medical care commodities-- prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, and medical supplies--increased 0.3 percent in November. The index for medical care services rose 0.4 percent. Charges for professional services and hospital and related services increased 0.5 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
Entertainment costs rose 0.5 percent in November. A 1.8 percent increase in the index for reading materials, reflecting sharp advances in prices for both newspapers and for magazines,periodicals, and books, accounted for about three-fifths of the overall increase in the entertainment index.
The index for other goods and services increased 0.5 percent in November, about in line with recent months.
CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers was unchanged in November.
As the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on November 21, the CPI for November, originally scheduled for release December 13, was rescheduled for release on December 14. Price collection in November was extended beyond the usual closeout date in order to obtain those price data that were lost during the period from the 14th through the 19th of November, when CPI data collection was suspended as a result of the federal government shutdown.
Consumer Price Index data for December are scheduled for release on Friday, January 12, 1996, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). Releases for the remainder of 1996:
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Original release Dec 14, 1995.
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