BLS DAILY REPORT, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2001
RELEASED TODAY:
CPI -- The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2
percent in December, the same as in each of the preceding 2 months. The
food index advanced 0.5 percent in December, following no change in November
and a 0.1 percent increase in October. The energy index rose 0.2 percent in
December, following increases of 0.1 and 0.2 percent in November and
October, respectively. In December, the index for petroleum-based energy
declined 1.4 percent, while the index for energy services advanced 1.8
percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent in December
after advancing 0.3 percent in November and 0.2 percent in October. A sharp
downturn in the tobacco index and a smaller increase in shelter costs were
responsible for the smaller advance in December than in November. ...
REAL EARNINGS -- Real average weekly earnings declined by 0.4 percent
from November to December, after seasonal adjustment, according to
preliminary data. A 0.6 percent decrease in average weekly hours and a 0.2
percent increase in the CPI-W were partially offset by a 0.4 percent
increase in average hourly earnings. ... From December 1999 to December
2000, real average weekly earnings fell by 0.4 percent. ...
Inventories of unsold goods at U.S. companies piled up in November as sales
fell for the second straight month, adding to mounting evidence of a
slumping economy. The Commerce Department reported that stockpiles of goods
on shelves and backlots nationwide rose 0.5 percent in November. Sales
dropped 0.3 percent. ... (Washington Post, page E2)_____Unsold products
continued to stack up at the nation's manufacturers and retailers in
November and could further weigh down the U.S. economy. ... (Wall Street
Journal, page A2).
DUE OUT TOMORROW:
Union Members in 2000
Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers: Fourth Quarter 2000
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