Archive and Content Search
Flat glass prices saw a big jump—relative to recent month-to-month changes—in December, increasing 1.8 percent from the month before, according to the latest Producer Price Index Report (PPI) issued by the U.S. Labor Department. The spike comes after flat glass prices rose 0.5 percent from October to November.
The PPI program measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The prices included in the PPI are from the first commercial transaction for many products and some services.
The flat glass index sits at 123.2, continuing to go up after mostly steady increases throughout 2014. The latest bump in prices puts them up 3.4 percent for the year.
In another report, import prices for glass and glassware remained stagnant in December following a 0.1-percent dip in November and a 0.1-percent bump in October. Import prices are down 0.2 percent from a year ago.
Meanwhile, export prices for glass and glassware increased 0.4 percent in December after increasing 0.1 percent the month before. Those prices dropped 0.2 percent in October. Export prices for glass and glassware are up 1.4 percent from this time last year.
Following a flat November, prices of materials for construction saw a slight drop of 0.1 percent. They increased 0.3 percent in October, and prices in that category are up 3 percent from December 2013. Final demand for construction remained stagnant for the second straight month after seeing a 0.5-percent spike in October. Those prices are up 2.1 percent from a year ago.
On the whole, the PPI for final demand fell 0.3 percent in December, seasonally adjusted, after a 0.2-percent dip in November and a 0.2-percent increase in October. On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand rose 1.1 percent in 2014 after increasing 1.2 percent in 2013.
Overall prices for U.S. imports decreased 2.5 percent in November after a 1.8-percent drop in November and a 1.4-percent decline in October. Export prices declined 1.2 percent in December after seeing a 0.8-percent decrease the month before.
