Hello Darrell,..Re:.Fact remains. Prices were higher in February of this year overall than they are now.
Darrell, with all due respect, if you're talking about wholesale prices, the table below for the just released PPI shows that in Feb. 99, the overall PPI was only 0.5% higher than from the same time in '98. Contrast that with the current 3.2% rate which shows increases for every single category measured. I didn't go back and read the Feb. report regarding individual items pricing, just looked at the tabulated changes listed below.
Also, if you follow the NAPM reports, the prices paid component has been steadily rising over the past 6 months. Further, each month, they list commodity items either in short supply or higher priced and some, such as gypsum, have been on the list for months. If you follow the housing statistics, you probably noticed that the average selling price has increased nicely in the past 6 months too. Can provide links if you'd like.
From the Sept. PPI.
Finished
goods
Change in
Except finished Inter-
goods
foods from 12 mediate Crude
and months
Month Total Foods Energy energy ago goods goods
(unadj.)
1998
Sept. 0.2 0.2 -0.4 0.3 -0.9 -0.3 -1.8
Oct. .3 .4 .8 .1 -.7 -.2 2.5
Nov. -.2 -.4 -1.3 .1 -.6 -.2 -.1
Dec. .5 0 -1.8 1.0 0 -.7 -3.6
1999
Jan. .3 1.5 .8 -.2 .8 0 .6
Feb. -.5 -1.2 -1.1 .1 .5 -.3 -2.3
Mar. .3 .3 1.7 -.1 .8 .3 .3
Apr. .5 -.7 5.5 .1 1.2 .7 2.5
May .2 r.4 r.3 .1 1.4 r.3 r6.1
June -.1 .4 r-.6 r-.1 1.5 r.2 r.1
July .2 -.9 3.4 0 1.5 .6 -.2
Aug. .5 .4 3.7 -.1 2.3 .8 4.6
Sept. 1.1 1.0 2.2 .8 3.2 .3 5.1
stats.bls.gov
Cheers,
Lee |
