WASHINGTON — December import prices posted a better than expected result at flat.
Nonfuel imports posted a 0.1% slip in their first drop since August. Prices of non-fuel industrial supplies, capital goods, and cars fell.
Over the year the pace of imports is down 1.3%, showing no inflation pressure from this sector.
Import prices from China were unchanged and from Japan off 0.3%.
Export prices posted a 0.4% increase and non-agricultural export prices posted a 0.3% gain in December. Despite rising in three of the last four months, the export price index was down 1.0% over the year. The agricultural export index was off 6.3% over the year after a 13.4% increase in 2012. Prices of corn, wheat and beans retreated.
Market News International is a real-time global news service for fixed-income and foreign exchange market professionals. See
