Consumer price index report - 8:30am

Full report here The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) decreased 0.2 percent in July before seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Over the last 12 months the index has fallen 2.1 percent, as a 28.1 percent decline in the energy index since its July 2008 peak has more than offset increases of 0.9 percent in the food index and 1.5 percent in the index for all items less food and energy. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U was unchanged in July following a 0.7 percent increase in June. Small declines in the food and energy indexes offset a small increase in the index for all items less food and energy. The food index declined 0.3 percent in July with all six major grocery store food groups posting declines. The energy index, which rose 7.4 percent in June, fell 0.4 percent in July. Decreases in the indexes for gasoline, fuel oil, and electricity more than offset an increase in the index for natural gas. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in July following a 0.2 percent increase in June. The indexes for new vehicles, tobacco, medical care and apparel all continued to increase in July, and the index for airline fares turned up after a long series of declines. In contrast to these increases, the shelter index decreased in July as the index for lodging away from home fell and the indexes for rent and owners’ equivalent rent were unchanged. The food and beverages index, which rose 0.1 percent in June, fell 0.2 percent in July. The decrease was caused by the food at home index, which declined for the seventh time in the last eight months, falling 0.5 percent. All six major grocery store food group indexes fell, with the largest decreases being a 1.3 percent decline in the index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs and a 0.6 percent decline in the dairy and related products index, which has now fallen for eight months in a row. The cereals and bakery products index posted the smallest decrease of the six groups, falling 0.1 percent. The indexes for fruits and vegetables, for nonalcoholic beverages, and for other food at home all declined 0.3 percent in July. The food at home index has declined 2.6 percent from its peak in November 2008. In contrast to the decline in the food at home index, the food away from home index rose 0.1 percent in July and the index for alcoholic beverages increased 0.3 percent. The housing index fell 0.2 percent in July after being unchanged in June. The index for shelter fell 0.2 percent and the household energy index declined 0.3 percent. Within the shelter group, the indexes for rent and owners’ equivalent rent were both unchanged in July after rising 0.1 percent in June. The index for lodging away from home turned down in July, falling 2.1 percent after increasing 0.3 percent in June, and has fallen 8.9 percent over the past 12 months. Within household energy, a 0.9 percent increase in the index for natural gas was more than offset by declines in the other indexes, including a 0.6 percent decrease in the electricity index and a 1.5 percent fall in the fuel oil index. The index for household furnishings and operations, unchanged for each of the previous three months, declined 0.1 percent in July. For the past 12 months, the housing index has declined 0.7 percent, with the shelter index up 0.9 percent and the household energy index down 14.1 percent. After rising 4.2 percent in June, the transportation index increased 0.2 percent in July. Most of the moderation was due to the motor fuel index, which fell 0.4 percent in July after rising 17.2 percent in June. The new vehicle index increased 0.5 percent in July after rising 0.7 percent in June, and the index for used cars and trucks was unchanged in July after rising 0.9 percent in June. The public transportation index, however, turned up in July, rising 1.9 percent after declining 0.5 percent in June. The turnaround was mostly due to the index for airline fares, which rose 2.1 percent in July after declining in each of the previous ten months. Over the past 12 months, the transportation index has fallen 14.1 percent, with several of its components declining. The gasoline index fell 37.3 percent while the index for airline fares declined 16.6 percent and the index for used cars and trucks decreased 7.9 percent. However, the new vehicle index has risen 1.2 percent over the past 12 months. Among other CPI groups, the medical care index rose 0.2 percent in July, the same increase as in June. Within that group, the index for hospital and related services rose 0.7 percent while the index for prescription drugs was unchanged. Over the last 12 months, the medical care index has risen 3.2 percent. The index for other goods and services rose 0.8 percent in July after advancing 0.3 percent in June. The larger increase was driven by the tobacco index, which rose 2.2 percent as excise tax increases in several states went into effect in July. The tobacco index has now risen 27.8 percent over the past year. The apparel index advanced 0.6 percent in July after a 0.7 percent increase in June. The index for education and communication rose 0.3 percent in July after rising 0.2 percent in June, while the index for recreation was unchanged in July after rising 0.5 percent in June. More charts and info at link.