Full text of U.S. Financial Data : June 15, 2000

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June 15, 2000

USFinancialData
THE WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS:
■ The consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) rose
0.1 percent in May, or 0.7 percent at an annual rate. After rising at
a 5.8 percent rate during the first three months of the year, the CPI
has since risen at only a 0.4 percent rate during the previous two
months. Consumer prices are up 3.1 percent from a year earlier.
■ Prices paid by producers for finished goods (PPI) were unchanged
in May after falling 0.3 percent in April. The PPI has increased at
a 4.3 percent annual rate year-to-date, nearly twice the 2.2 percent
rate of gain seen during the same period in 1999.
■ Following increases of 0.7 percent in March and April, the index
of industrial production rose 0.4 percent in May, or 4.6 percent
at an annual rate. Total industry utilization in May, however, was
unchanged at 82.1 percent of capacity. Measured from a year
earlier, total production is up 5.8 percent, while capacity utilization
has increased 2 percent.
■ The nominal value of retail sales fell $0.8 billion, or 0.3 percent, in
May, the second consecutive decline. Excluding sales at automotive
dealers, however, retail sales were virtually unchanged in May
after falling 0.4 percent in April. Retail sales are up 7.4 percent
from a year earlier.
■ The value of business (manufacturing and trade) inventories rose
$5.1 billion, or 0.4 percent, in April. This increase matched the
average increases seen during the first three months of this year.
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
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