BERLIN: Germany’s imports prices declined at the weakest pace in four months during December, figures from Destatis showed Thursday.
The import price index fell 3.1% year-on-year following a 3.5% slump in November. Economists had forecast a 3% decline.
The latest drop was the smallest since August, when prices fell at the same pace.
Month-on-month, import prices were 1.2% lower in December, after a 0.2% drop in the previous month. Economists had forecast a 1.2% decline. The monthly fall was the biggest in four months.
For the full year 2015, import prices fell 2.6% after a 2.2% decline in the previous year. Prices decreased for a third straight year.
Excluding petroleum and related products, import prices decreased 0.9% annually in December. Month-on-month, prices declined 0.4%. In 2015, import prices rose 1.1% from the previous year.
Export prices, meanwhile, rose 0.2% year-on-year in December after a 0.3% increase in the previous month. On a month-on-month basis, export prices dropped 0.4% after a 0.1% gain in November. For full year 2015, export prices increased an average 0.9%.
