May 2012 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2012-06-12

U.S. import prices decreased 1.0 percent in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after no change the previous month. Lower fuel and nonfuel prices each contributed to the May decrease in overall import prices. U.S. export prices also declined in May, falling 0.4 percent after a 0.4 percent increase in April. All Imports: The price index for overall imports fell 1.0 percent in May, the largest one-month drop since the index declined 1.2 percent in June 2010. Prices for U.S. imports also decreased over the past 12 months, falling 0.3 percent, the first year-over-year decline for the index since import prices fell 5.6 percent between October 2008 and October 2009. The decrease over the May 2011-12 period was led by lower fuel prices which more than offset an increase in nonfuel prices.