18 October 2002
Inquiries: Mr Jari Harjunpää +358 9 1734 3472, Ms
Marja Ikonen +358 9 1734 3480
Director in charge: Mr Kari Molnar
Import prices fell by 3.1 per cent in the year
Import prices declined by 3.1 per cent from last year's September to this year's September. The fall was particularly due to lower prices of crude oil, basic chemicals, electronic circuits and parts and car parts. The fall of the index was sustained by higher prices of metal ores and food and beverages from the previous year.
Export prices fell by 2.5 per cent in the year. The fall was primarily caused by that prices of pulp, paper and paper products went down by 5.5 per cent, prices of electrical goods and optical equipment by 5.0 per cent and prices of chemicals and chemical products by 5.5 per cent.
Basic prices for domestic supply, that is, prices exclusive of tax of goods used in Finland fell by 0.9 per cent from September 2001. This was especially due to lower prices of energy minerals, chemicals and chemical products, and electrical goods and optical equipment.
Higher prices of energy products raised producer prices in September
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices increased by 0.3 to 0.6 per cent from August to September. Producer prices for manufactured products, that is, prices for goods intended for the domestic market rose most, by 0.6 per cent. This was particularly caused by higher prices of oil products, electricity, gas and heat. In addition to the factors mentioned above, wholesale prices and prices exclusive of tax of goods used in Finland were raised by higher price of crude oil.
Month-on-month and year-on-year changes of Producer Price Indices in September 2002
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|
Indices (1995=100) |
Point figure |
Change, % |
Change, % |
|
Producer price index for manufactured products |
106.2 |
0.6 |
-0.4 |
|
Export price index |
96.5 |
0.3 |
-2.5 |
|
Import price index |
104.4 |
0.4 |
-3.1 |
|
Basic price index for domestic supply |
106.9 |
0.5 |
-0.9 |
|
Wholesale price index |
107.1 |
0.5 |
-0.8 |
Producer price indices measure the development of commodity prices from enterprises' viewpoint. The basic price index for domestic supply measures the development of prices exclusive of tax of goods used in Finland as they enter the market. The wholesale price index describes the change in the purchase prices of goods used in Finland inclusive of tax. Both these indices contain domestic and imported goods.
Source: Producer Price Indices 2002, September. Statistics Finland