December 2011 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2012-01-13

U.S. import prices edged down 0.1 percent in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after rising 0.8 percent the previous month. In December, declining prices for fuels more than offset a 0.1 percent rise in nonfuel prices. Export prices also decreased in December, falling 0.5 percent following a 0.1 percent advance in November. All Imports: Import prices resumed a downward trend, declining 0.1 percent following a 0.8 percent upturn in November. The price index for overall imports rose 8.5 percent in 2011, driven by a 9.2 percent increase for the index over the first five months of the year. 2011 was the third consecutive year that import prices rose, advancing 5.3 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively in 2010 and 2009, after declining 10.1 percent in 2008. Fuel Imports: Fuel prices fell 0.5 percent in December after rising 3.7 percent in November.