March 2013 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2013-04-11

The price index for U.S. imports declined 0.5 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following increases of 0.6 percent in February and 0.5 percent in January. The March decrease was primarily led by a downturn in fuel prices. U.S. export prices fell 0.4 percent in March after rising 0.7 percent in February. All Imports: Import prices fell 0.5 percent in March, the first monthly decline since a 0.6 percent decrease in December 2012. Falling fuel prices were the main contributor to the March drop. The price index for imports decreased 2.7 percent for the 12 months ended in March, the largest year-over-year decline since a 3.3 percent drop between July 2011 and July 2012. Import prices have not risen on a 12-month basis since April 2012.