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ECONOMIC

Report - The American Presidency Project

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TABLE 12.—Changes in selected price measures, 1971IV to 1973IV[Percent; seasonally adjusted annual rates]Price measure1971 IVto1972 IV1972 IVto1973 IV1II19731IIIIVImplicit GNP price deflator:Total GNP2....3.33 7.16.17.37.03 7.9Private nonfarm GNPFarm GNP2.5?2.93 5.554.24.350.66.075.84.5107.43 7.03.0Consumer price index:All items3.58.46.18.49.19.9FoodNonfood itemsEnergy *Other nonfood5.22.92.93.019.45.212.84.518.63.28.22.520.25.111.64.124.64.45.74.714.58.227.06.8Wholesale price index:All commodities5.617.317.422.718.810.7Farm products and processed foodsand feeds.Industrial commoditiesEnergy sOther industrials11.43.55.63.331.012.046.08.249.16.512.85.941.215.241.312.649.96.522.24.9-6.820.5133.211.31 Changes from preceding quarter.2 Includes general government not shown separately.3 Preliminary.* Includes gasoline and motor oil, fuel oil and coal, and gas and electricity.a Includes fuels and related products and power.Sources: Department of Commerce (Bureau of Economic Analysis) .and Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics)did the widespread and strong economic expansion abroad. Exports of agriculturalcommodities rose sharply from $9.4 billion during 1972 to $17.5billion in 1973, a development which was instrumental in the sharp increasein U.S. farm commodity prices.Last year saw a continuation of the major changes in agricultural policythat were initiated during 1972 to further the expansion of supplies andthus restrain price increases. Farm and food product prices, nevertheless,reached new highs during the year. Wholesale farm product prices inDecember, although 12.4 percent below the August peak, were 36 percentabove their level a year earlier, while retail food prices were 20 percenthigher. Although the expansion in acreage lifted gross farm-food production,the production of livestock products declined slightly, and with exportshigher, there was a 2.5 percent reduction in food supplies reaching consumers.Disruptions in the pattern of supplies occasioned by the controlscreated serious shortages during the third quarter of the year.COMPENSATION AND UNIT LABOR COSTSThe slowdown in productivity growth during 1973 was accompanied bya quickening of the rate of increase in compensation per man-hour. As aresult, unit labor costs rose sharply and contributed to substantial price increasesin the private nonfarm economy (Chart 4). Nevertheless, preliminarydata suggest that these price increases fell short of the increase of unit68

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