Full text of U.S. Financial Data : November 9, 2000

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November 9, 2000

USFinancialData
THE WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS:
■ Following a 0.9 percent gain in September, the producer price
index (PPI) for finished goods rose 0.4 percent in October, or 4.4
percent at an annual rate. Excluding food and energy prices (core),
the PPI fell 0.1 percent in October, or 0.8 percent at an annual
rate. Year-to-date, the total PPI has increased at a 4.1 percent
rate while the core PPI is up at a 1.1 percent rate. In 1999, by
contrast, producer prices rose 2.9 percent and the core PPI rose
0.8 percent.
■ Paced by a 3.2 percent drop in petroleum prices, the index of U.S.
import prices fell 0.5 percent in October. After rising to a roughly
12 1/2 year high of 9.4 percent in February, the 12-month percent
change in the imported price index has since decelerated to 5.5
percent. Imported prices are not seasonally adjusted.
■ Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits totaled
344,000 during the week ending Nov. 4, an increase of 35,000 from
the previous week. Measured on a four-week moving average
basis, claims totaled 317,250 during the latest reporting week,
up 10 percent from a year earlier.
■ The number of jobs at U.S. nonfarm establishments rose 137,000,
or 0.1 percent, in October, after rising 195,000 in September.
Year-to-date, nonfarm payroll employment gains have averaged
182,200 a month, which is an appreciable slowing from the
229,300 a month gains seen in 1999. Since December 1999,
however, the civilian unemployment rate has fallen 0.2 percentage
points to 3.9 percent.
All data are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise indicated.
U.S. Financial Data is published weekly by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of
St. Louis. For more information on data, please call (314) 444-8590. To be added to the mailing
list, please call (314) 444-8808 or (314) 444-8809.
Information in this publication is also included in the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) electronic
bulletin board at (314) 621-1824 or internet World Wide Web server at www.stls.frb.org/fred.