February 2012 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2012-03-14

U.S. import prices increased 0.4 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, as higher fuel prices more than offset declining nonfuel prices. The price index for imports was unchanged in the two previous months. U.S. export prices also rose 0.4 percent in February after a 0.2 percent advance in January. All Imports: The 0.4 percent February increase marked only the second time that import prices have recorded a monthly advance greater than 0.1 percent since the index rose 2.6 percent in April 2011. Prices for overall imports increased 5.5 percent over the past 12 months, the smallest year-over-year rise since the index advanced 5.3 percent between December 2009 and December 2010. Fuel Imports: The price index for import fuel increased 1.4 percent in February after remaining unchanged in January and falling 0.5 percent in December. Fuel prices advanced 15.2 percent for the year ended in February.