ADVANCES OUTPUT.

This article updates on the chemical industry as of January 2006. Shipments of manufactured goods rose a sluggish 0.2 percent in November 2005, after gaining 0.7 percent in the previous month. Sales of durable goods were unchanged, while revenues of nondurable goods producers rose 0.4 percent. The Consumer Price Index for November fell 0.6 percent, as a consequence of an 8 percent decline in energy prices, while the core rate rose at an annualized rate of 0.2 percent. Chemical inventories fell, however, leading to a steep drop in the inventory-sales ratio.