September 2009 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2009-10-14

The U.S. Import Price Index edged up 0.1 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after a 1.6 percent increase in August. The September increase was led by higher nonfuel prices, which more than offset lower fuel prices. The price index for U.S. exports declined 0.3 percent in September following a 0.7 percent increase the previous month. All Imports: Import prices ticked up 0.1 percent in September, led by a 0.6 percent increase in nonfuel prices. The price index for overall imports has only declined once since January, but despite the recent upward trend, import prices fell 12.0 percent for the year ended in September because of the sharp drop in the index at the end of 2008. Fuel Imports: Fuel prices decreased 1.8 percent in September following a 7.1 percent increase the previous month.