March 2010 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2010-04-13

The U.S. Import Price Index rose 0.7 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The increase was attributable to higher prices for both fuel and nonfuel imports and followed a 0.2 percent decline in February. Export prices also rose 0.7 percent in March after declining 0.4 percent the previous month. All Imports: In March, import prices increased for the seventh time in the past eight months, rising 0.7 percent. The March upturn followed a 0.2 percent decline in February and was largely driven by a turnaround in fuel prices, which accounted for approximately 80 percent of the increase. Import prices advanced 11.4 percent for the year ended in March after decreasing 14.9 percent for the March 2008-09 period. Fuel Imports: Import fuel prices resumed an upward trend in March, rising 2.9 percent following a 1.2 percent drop in February.