Those looking for a bit of inflation can point to import prices and a weak dollar, but the bond market barely reacted.

U.S. import prices up 0.4% in February on higher nonfuel prices; export prices rise 0.2% according to the BLS report on Import and Export Prices.

  • All Imports: The price index for U.S. imports rose 0.4 percent in February, the seventh consecutive monthly increase, after advancing 0.8 percent in January. The last time the index declined on a monthly basis was a 0.2-percent drop in July 2017. Import prices advanced 3.5 percent for the 12-month period ended in February, matching the 12-month rise in November. Those were the largest annual increases since the index rose 3.6 percent for the 12-month period ended April 2017.
  • Fuel Imports: The price index for fuel imports declined 0.6 percent in February, the first monthly decline since July. Prior to February, the index for fuel imports rose 29.1 percent between July 2017 and January 2018. Both petroleum and natural gas prices contributed to the decline in overall fuel prices in February. Petroleum prices fell 0.5 percent and prices for natural gas decreased 3.0 percent. Despite the February decline, the price index for fuel imports rose 17.4 percent over the past 12 months. Petroleum prices increased 18.3 percent for the year ended in February and prices for natural gas advanced 17.9 percent over the same period.
  • All Imports Excluding Fuel: The price index for nonfuel imports advanced 0.5 percent in February, after rising 0.5 percent the previous month. The last time the index increased by more than 0.5 percent was a 0.8- percent advance in April 2011. Prices for capital goods; consumer goods; nonfuel industrial supplies and materials; foods, feeds, and beverages; and automotive vehicles all contributed to the February advance. The price index for nonfuel imports increased 2.1 percent over the past 12 months, the largest over-the-year rise since the index advanced 2.4 percent for the year ended February 2012. The primary contributor to the 12- month advance in February was higher prices for nonfuel industrial supplies and materials.
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