U.S. Dec CPI energy revised to +1.8 pct WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The Department of Labor on Wednesday said consumer energy prices rose 1.8 percent in December, an upward revision from the previously reported 1.4 percent gain after a recalculation of seasonal factors. The changes did not affect the overall December Consumer Price Index (CPI), which remained at a 0.2 percent gain, or inflation excluding food and energy, which rose 0.1 percent. The department said it had recalculated seasonally adjusted indices and seasonal adjustment factors for the period January 1995 through December 1999 for its Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, which measures inflation at the retail level. "Each year with the release of the January CPI, seasonal adjustment factors are recalculated to reflect price movements from the just-completed calendar year," the department said in a statement. The January report, scheduled for release on Feb. 18, will reflect the revisions. While the added factors did not affect the overall December CPI, some subcomponents may be revised in the next report. ) copyright 2000 Reuters, Ltd.

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 16, 2000

Answers

Are they going to "discount" the Transportation charges by the ratio of oil price increases as well?

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 16, 2000.

From all the circumstantial evidence, the next CPI should be quite a shocker. Unless of course the numbers are manipulated (huh, I meant seasonally-adjusted) in order to save and perpetuate, you guessed it, bubble.com. This will be quite an interesting test of how much cow manure we are being fed instead of true information.

-- Watching the world (_@home._), February 16, 2000.

Story didn't mention that the Clintons' adminstration neeed to "average" in a supposed 27% DECREASE in the price of computers to get that previous consumer's price index down to the 0.2 percent rate that they previously "claimed" was accurate.

All to keep the stock market high - and to re-elect themselves.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), February 16, 2000.