January 2009 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2009-02-18

The U.S. Import Price Index declined 1.1 percent in January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today, following decreases in each of the previous five months. In contrast, export prices rose for the first time in six months, advancing 0.5 percent in January. Percent changes in import and export price indexes by End Use category - not seasonally adjusted - Import prices fell 1.1 percent in January and 23.4 percent over the past six months. For the sixth consecutive month, petroleum prices and nonpetroleum prices decreased, falling 2.4 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, in January. However, prices for both overall imports and petroleum decreased at a smaller rate in January than in each of the previous five months since prices last rose in July.