Led by a +3% increase in Power Wire & Cable and +2.2% increase in Metal Conduit, and a +2.1% increase in Residential Lighting fixtures, the Electrical Price Index (EPI), showed more movement than in recent months, registering a +0.2% increase. Although Power Wire & Cable saw a +3% increase in March, it was down -5.4% from April 2016. Air conditioners were the only other category down more than one percent.
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