March 14, 2008 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Import prices in February 2008

The U.S. Import Price Index ticked up 0.2 percent in February following a 1.6-percent increase in January.

Over-the-month percent change in price index for imports, February 2007-February 2008 (not seasonally adjusted)
[Chart data—TXT]

The index advanced 13.6 percent over the past year.

Petroleum prices fell for the second time in three months in February 2008, declining 1.5 percent after rising 4.8 percent in January. The price index for petroleum increased 60.9 percent for the year ended in February.

Nonpetroleum prices advanced 0.6 percent in February 2008 after a 0.7-percent increase the previous month. The price index for nonpetroleum prices was up 4.5 percent over the past 12 months.

A 2.5-percent increase in nonpetroleum industrial supplies and materials prices was the largest contributor to the overall February rise in nonpetroleum prices. That advance was led by higher prices for natural gas, metals, and fertilizers. Prices for nonpetroleum industrial supplies and materials rose 12.5 percent over the past year.

These data are from the BLS International Price program. Import price data are subject to revision. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes -- February 2008" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 08-0333.

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