Global| Jun 13 2014U.S. Wholesale Prices Post Broad-Based Declines
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The overall final demand Producer Price Index declined 0.2% (+2.0% y/y) during May following an unrevised 0.6% April increase. It was the first decline since February and compared to expectations for a 0.1% gain in the Action [...]
The overall final demand Producer Price Index declined 0.2% (+2.0% y/y) during May following an unrevised 0.6% April increase. It was the first decline since February and compared to expectations for a 0.1% gain in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. Also declining were producer prices excluding food & energy. Their 0.1% slip (+2.0% y/y) compared to an expected 0.1% uptick.
Final demand prices for goods (35% of the total index) slipped 0.2% (+1.9% y/y) after a 0.6% increase. Both consumer food and energy goods prices fell 0.2%. Finished goods prices excluding food & energy slipped 0.1% (+2.0% y/y). Private capital equipment prices increased 0.1% (1.3% y/y).
Final demand prices for construction notched 0.1% higher (3.2% y/y) following a 0.4% rise during April.
Final demand prices for services (63% of the total index) declined 0.2% (+2.2% y/y) after a 0.6% increase. Prices for transportation of passengers gained 0.8% (5.0% y/y) and added to a 2.8% April increase. Prices for transportation and warehousing of goods for final demand increased 0.9% (2.6% y/y).
Intermediate demand prices of processed goods slipped 0.1% (+1.3% y/y) after having been unchanged in April.
Measured using the old formula, which is being phased out as the headline series, producer prices were unchanged (2.5% y/y) after a 0.7% April increase. Food costs slipped 0.1% (+4.4% y/y) while energy prices fell 0.3% (+2.4% y/y). Prices excluding food & energy gained 0.1% (1.8% y/y).
The PPI data are contained in Haver's USECON database with further detail in PPI and PPIR. The expectations figure is available in the AS1REPNA database.
| Producer Price Index (%) | May | Apr | Mar | May Y/Y | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Demand | -0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.9 |
| Excluding Food & Energy | -0.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.9 | -- |
| Goods | -0.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 6.8 |
| Foods | -0.2 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 8.5 |
| Energy | -0.2 | 0.1 | -1.2 | 2.2 | -0.8 | 0.2 | 17.5 |
| Goods Excluding Food & Energy | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 3.4 |
| Services | -0.2 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.1 |
| Construction | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Intermediate Demand - Processed Goods | -0.1 | 0.0 | -0.2 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 8.9 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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