Import Prices Off 0.2%

Washington, DC, January 12, 2006–Prices of goods imported into the United States fell for the second consecutive month in December as petroleum prices dropped again, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Import prices fell 0.2% in December after a revised 1.8% decline in November. Economists were expecting import prices to rise 0.1%. Excluding petroleum, import prices were unchanged in December. Excluding all fuels, prices increased 0.2%. Export prices, meanwhile, increased 0.1% in December. Excluding agricultural goods, export prices increased 0.1%.