February 2010 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2010-03-16

The U.S. Import Price Index fell 0.3 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The decrease was led by a 1.9 percent downturn in fuel prices, which more than offset a 0.2 percent advance in nonfuel prices. Export prices fell 0.5 percent in February after advancing 0.7 percent in each of the previous two months. All Imports: In February, import prices decreased for the first time since a 0.6 percent decline in July, falling 0.3 percent. The February downturn followed a 1.3 percent advance in January and was driven by a turnaround in fuel prices. Despite the February decline, import prices advanced 11.2 percent for the year ended in February after decreasing 12.7 percent for the February 2008-09 period. Fuel Imports: Import fuel prices countered an upward trend in February, falling 1.9 percent following a 4.9 percent rise in January.