October EPI Shows Little Change

With a +0.1% increase in October, Electrical Marketing’s Electrical Price Index (EPI) remained firmly entrenched in a band of little growth or change. The contrarian product categories were Power Wire & Cable, which was down -3% for the month and -9.2% year-over-year; and residential lighting equipment, which saw a +2.4% increase. No other category showed a change of more than 1%.

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