In EM’s EPI, it’s big news when a category jumps over a point, and the 12.4% April increase in the ballast category is one of the largest increases we have seen. Global Insights’ Michael Montgomery, who provides the EPI each month for EM, said the increase is probably a statistical anomaly due to the timing of a data release. We will watch it closely in case it turns out to be more than that.
Note: All EPI series represent Global Insight aggregates of Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) producer price indices (PPIs). The revised data partly reflect redefinitions of specific PPIs by the BLS, but mostly reflect the rebenchmarking of all EPI price series to a 1997 base year. The four following EPI series have been affected by BLS redefinitions: boxes, conduit (fittings), nonmetallic conduit, and generators. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Global Insight