MNI: Key Points In September US Import/Export Price Data>

By Kevin Kastner

     WASHINGTON (MNI) - The following are the key points from the 

September U.S. import and export price data released Tuesday by the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

     - Import prices rose 0.7% in September, led by a 3.9% jump in fuel 

prices. A 4.5% gain in petroleum prices offset a 7.8% drop in natural 

gas prices.

     - Excluding fuels, import prices were up 0.3% and were also up 0.3% 

excluding just petro prices

     - The 0.3% gain in import prices was due to gains in every other 

category except consumer prices, so some underlying inflation was 

present.

     - Still, prices outside of energy were up only 1.3% year/year, 

compared with a gain of 2.7% for total import prices over the same 

period, so energy is still the main driver of imported inflation.

     - Export prices rose 0.8%, but were up 1.0% outside of a 0.7% drop 

in agricultural prices.

     - The BLS made no comment on the impact of the hurricanes on the 

data. 

     ** MNI Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 ** 

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