Import prices fall 1.3 percent, export prices rise 1.1 percent, January 2012–January 2013

February 14, 2013

Over the 12-month period from January 2012 to January 2013, import prices declined 1.3 percent; import prices have not risen on a 12-month basis since the index increased 0.8 percent between April 2011 and April 2012. Export prices rose 1.1 percent from January 2012 to January 2013, driven by a 10.7-percent advance in agricultural prices over the year.

The price index for overall fuel imports decreased 5.2 percent for the 12-month period ended in January 2013. A 5.9-percent drop in petroleum prices over the year drove the decline in overall fuel prices. In contrast, the index for natural gas prices increased 18.0 percent between January 2012 and January 2013. Prices for nonfuel imports were unchanged over the past year, as rising prices for nonfuel industrial supplies and materials, automotive vehicles, and consumer goods offset decreasing prices for capital goods and foods, feeds, and beverages.

The price index for agricultural exports increased 10.7 percent from January 2012 to January 2013, driven primarily by higher prices for soybeans, wheat, and corn during the summer of 2012. Prices for overall nonagricultural exports were unchanged over the past year.

These data are from the BLS International Price program. Import and export price data are subject to revision. To learn more, see "U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes — January 2013" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-13-0235.