October 2009 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2009-11-13

The U.S. Import Price Index rose 0.7 percent in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, led by a 1.8 percent increase in fuel prices. The rise followed a 0.2 percent increase in September. U.S. export prices advanced 0.3 percent in October after decreasing 0.2 percent the previous month. All Imports: The increase in U.S. imports in October continued the recent upward trend for the index. Import prices have risen in seven of the past eight months and were up 8.1 percent over that period. Despite the recent increases, import prices declined 5.7 percent for the year ended in October driven by a 12.8 percent drop in prices between October 2008 and January 2009. Fuel Imports: Prices for import fuel advanced 1.8 percent in October after a 1.5 percent decline the previous month.