EPI Index Makes Upward Move in September
After a long slumber that lasted the better part of two years, EM’s Electrical Price Index (EPI) moved up +0.4% last month based largely on the +2.1% increase for the Building Wire category; the +1.3% increase in Power Wire & Cable; and the +2.1% move in the Telephone supplies category. The overall index was up +0.9% over Sept. 2016. Switchgear (-1.2%) and Air Conditioners (-1.8%) took the biggest hit.
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