October 14, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Import prices in September 2005

U.S. import prices increased 2.3 percent in September, the largest monthly advance since October 1990.

[Chart data—TXT]

For the fourth month in a row, the price index for petroleum recorded its highest level since the index was first published in 1982, moving up a further 7.3 percent in September. Petroleum prices rose 48.9 percent over the past 12 months after increasing 53.5 percent for the September 2003-2004 period.

In addition, nonpetroleum import prices increased 1.2 percent in September, the largest one-month rise for that index since monthly publication began in December 1988. Prices for nonpetroleum imports advanced 3.0 percent for the year ended in September, while overall import prices rose 9.9 percent over the past year.

Export prices rose 0.9 percent in September as higher nonagricultural prices more than offset a decline in agricultural prices.

These data are from the BLS International Price program. Import and export price data are subject to revision. Learn more in "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes - September 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1969. Note: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had virtually no impact on data collection efforts or survey response rates and no changes in estimation procedures were necessary.