U.S. import prices by country of origin, December 2012

The price index for U.S. imports edged down 0.1 percent in December after declining 0.8 percent the previous month. U.S. export prices also fell 0.1 percent in December following a 0.7 percent drop in November.

Import prices from China were unchanged in December and declined 0.7 percent in 2012. The yearly decrease followed increases of 3.6 percent in 2011 and 0.8 percent in 2010. For the year, import prices from Canada, the European Union, and Mexico all declined, falling 2.5 percent, 1.1 percent, and 3.6 percent, respectively. In contrast, prices for imports from Japan rose 1.0 percent over the past 12 months.