March 2018 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2018-04-12

U.S. import prices recorded no change in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following a 0.3-percent rise in February. Higher nonfuel prices offset declining prices for imported fuel in March. Prices for U.S. exports advanced 0.3 percent in March, after rising 0.2 percent the previous month. All Imports: Import prices recorded no change in March following rises of 0.3 percent in February and 0.8 percent in January. The index has not declined on a monthly basis since decreasing 0.2 percent in July 2017. Prices for U.S. imports rose 3.6 percent between March 2017 and March 2018. The last 12-month decline in import prices was a 0.2-percent drop for the period ended October 2016. Fuel Imports: Fuel prices fell for the second consecutive month, declining 1.6 percent in March following a 1.0-percent drop in February. The March decrease was the largest monthly decline since the index dropped 3.6 percent in June 2017.