September 2012 U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — 2012-10-11

U.S. import prices advanced 1.1 percent for the second consecutive month in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, after falling the previous four months. The increase in each of the past two months was led by rising fuel prices. The price index for U.S. exports rose 0.8 percent in September following a 1.0 percent advance in August. All Imports: Import prices rose 1.1 percent in September following a 1.1 percent advance the previous month. Those were the first monthly increases for the index since a 1.4 percent rise in March. Higher fuel prices were the largest contributor to the September advance in overall import prices, although nonfuel prices increased as well. Despite the recent advances, import prices declined 0.6 percent over the past 12 months, the fifth consecutive month of declining year-over-year changes. Fuel Imports: The price index for import fuels increased 4.4 percent after rising 5.7 percent in August.