The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Producer Price Indexes (PPI) for December today. The index for finished goods declined 0.1 percent in December from November after oscillating in a narrow range since May. The leveling off paralleled the flattening of energy prices after a sharp run-up earlier in the year.

The PPI for material and supply inputs to residential construction has followed the same basic pattern as the PPI for finished goods, with sharp increases early in the year leveling off by year end.

 The PPIs for selected residential construction inputs confirms that the weak housing market has kept price pressure for non-energy related materials at bay with levels flat over the last several years.

Tags: Building Materials, economics, ppi