Inflation And Trade Data Are Generally Encouraging
Jan. 13, 2005
By John S. McClenahen Minus food and fuel, the Labor Department's Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods, a closely watched indicator of inflation, was unchanged in September. Even with the sometimes volatile changes in food and fuel prices ...
ByJohn S. McClenahen Minus food and fuel, the Labor Department's Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods, a closely watched indicator of inflation, was unchanged in September. Even with the sometimes volatile changes in food and fuel prices included, the PPI was up just 0.3% from August, a bit less than the July to August increase of 0.4%. Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department has reported that the U.S. international trade deficit for goods and services fell in August for the fifth consecutive month. The deficit in August was $39.2 billion, with imports totaling $122.9 billion and exports reaching $83.7 billion. However, the U.S. trade deficit with China for goods rose to $11.699 billion in August, bringing the deficit for the first seven months of this year to $77.011 billion.
