BERLIN: Germany import price index fell 4.4% year-on-year at the start of the year, faster than December’s 3.7% decline. Economists had forecast a 4.6% fall for the month.
The latest decline was the sharpest since November 2009, when prices had fallen 5.0%.
January’s decline in the index was largely influenced by the sharp 34.6% decline in energy prices from the previous year. At the same time, excluding energy, overall index rose 1.3%.
On a monthly basis, import prices fell 0.8% in January, slower than December’s 1.7% decline. It was the fourth consecutive monthly decrease.
Meanwhile, the export price index climbed for the fifth straight month in January by 0.4% from the previous year, after a 0.1% slight increase in December.
Month-on-month, export prices rose 0.5% in January, in contrast to a 0.3% fall logged in the preceding month.
