Long Term Perspective

Prices will increase or decrease at earlier stages of production before consumers pay more (less) for finished goods. Changes in prices of food and energy products tend to overshadow changes in prices of other goods. Intermediate and crude materials prices jumped in 1999 but price hikes began to moderate in 2000.

Short Term Perspective

Oil prices are fluctuating more dramatically than usual - mostly on the upside. August figures did show some improvement on a year-over-year basis, but by October, crude materials prices jumped again. The intermediate price index is more stable lately.

PPI: Intermediate vs. Crude Materials   •   Excluding Food & Energy Prices: Intermediate vs. Crude   •   CPI vs. PPI - Finished Goods

Excluding Food & Energy Prices : CPI vs. PPI   •   Employment Cost Index vs. Wages & Salaries   •   Alternative Inflation Measures