ABJ - January 17 - U.S. import prices edged down 0.1 per cent in December, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, after rising 0.8 per cent the previous month.

In December, declining prices for fuels more than offset a 0.1 per cent rise in non-fuel prices. Export prices also decreased in December, falling 0.5 per cent following a 0.1 per cent advance in November.

Import prices resumed a downward trend, declining 0.1 per cent following a 0.8 per cent upturn in November. The price index for overall imports rose 8.5 per cent in 2011, driven by a 9.2 per cent increase for the index over the first five months of the year. 2011 was the third consecutive year that import prices rose, advancing 8.6 per cent in 2009 and 5.3 per cent in 2010, after declining 10.1 per cent in 2008.

Prices for overall exports declined 0.5 per cent in December, following a 0.1 per cent advance in November and a two per cent decrease in October. In December, falling prices for both agricultural exports and non-agricultural exports factored into the decrease in export prices. The price index for overall exports rose 3.6 per cent in 2011 after rising 6.5 per cent in 2010 and 3.4 per cent in 2009.