US flat glass prices sat stagnant from April to May following a 1.7% increase a month prior, while the flat glass index did not move up or down from its 120.8 rating in April.
The latest report from the US Producer Price Index (PPI) from the US Department of Labor shows that flat glass prices sat stagnant from April to May following a 1.7% increase a month prior.
Moreover, the flat glass index did not move even a tenth of a percentage point up or down from its 120.8 rating in April.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the PPI is “a constant quality fixed-input output price index” that “measures monthly price change in the economy by following the prices of a representative sample of items each month.”
Flat glass prices saw a modest rise through the first quarter of the year, creeping up 0.2% from January to February and 0.4% from February to March before the near-2% spike last month. The flat glass index started the year at 119.0.
The unadjusted percent change from May 2013 to May 2014 was 2.3%. Last month, the year-to-year increase stood at 3.7.
The PPI report came shortly after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed import prices for glass and glassware edging down for the third straight month and export prices for glass and glassware edging up for the fourth straight month.
The glass and glassware category includes float glass, safety glass, lab glass and a range of other glass products, according to information from the International Price Program office in Washington, D.C.
According to the PPI report, prices for materials for construction were back on the up in May after a slight dip in April, seeing a 0.2% increase following April’s 0.1% decrease. Prices had increased a combined 0.7% the two months prior.
The overall PPI for final demand fell 0.2% in May, seasonally adjusted. The decline followed increases of 0.6% in April and 0.5% in March.
On an unadjusted basis, the index for final demand advanced 2.0% for the 12 months ended in May.
Final demand for construction increased 0.1% in May after a 0.4 spike in April. With an index of 110.3, the PPI for final demand for construction is up 3.2% from a year ago.