March 2009 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2009-04-09

The U.S. Import Price Index rose 0.5 percent in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. A 10.5 percent increase in import petroleum prices more than offset a 0.7 percent decline in the price index for nonpetroleum imports. In contrast, export prices fell in March, decreasing 0.6 percent. Percent changes in import and export price indexes by End Use category - not seasonally adjusted - Import prices increased for the first time since July, advancing 0.5 percent in March after edging down 0.1 percent in February. The March advance was led by a 10.5 percent rise in petroleum prices. The price index for petroleum increased for the second consecutive month after falling 69.2 percent from July through January. In contrast, nonpetroleum prices decreased for the eighth consecutive month, falling 0.7 percent in March.