April 2009 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2009-05-13

The U.S. Import Price Index rose 1.6 percent in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. A 15.4 percent increase in import petroleum prices more than offset a 0.4 percent decline in the price index for nonpetroleum imports. Export prices also rose in April, increasing 0.5 percent. Percent changes in import and export price indexes by End Use category - not seasonally adjusted - Import prices increased 1.6 percent in April after rising 0.2 percent in March. The April advance was led by a 15.4 percent rise in petroleum prices, which increased for the third consecutive month after declining in each of the previous six months. In contrast, nonpetroleum prices decreased for the ninth consecutive month, falling 0.4 percent in April. For the year ended in April, petroleum prices fell 49.8 percent and prices for nonpetroleum imports declined 5.6 percent.