March 16, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Prices of goods from Canada fall in February

Import prices for goods from Canada fell 0.9 percent in February, after having risen 6.9 percent over December and January. The decline was only the third monthly decrease in this index in the past two years.

[Chart data—TXT]

The price index of imports from the Asian Newly Industrialized Countries also decreased in February, falling 0.5 percent. Import prices for goods from Japan declined 0.4 percent in February, paralleling the increase in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the yen.

The price index for imports from Latin America was unchanged in February. Import prices from the European Union were up 0.7 percent in February, reflecting the strengthening of the euro versus the U.S. dollar. This was the first increase in this index since July.

These data are produced by the BLS International Price program. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - February 2001," news release USDL 01-63. The Asian Newly Industrialized Countries include Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Latin America includes Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Note: import price data are subject to revision in each of the three months after original publication.