19 January, 1998
Inquiries: Mr Jarmo Ranki + 358 9 1734 3472, Ms Anne
Forss + 358 9 1734 3469
Statistical Director in charge: Mr Jarmo Hyrkkö
Export prices down by 2 per cent from 1996 to 1997
Comparing the average prices for the whole year, export prices went down by 2 per cent from 1996 to 1997. The drop was mainly attributable to the reduction of nearly 9 per cent in paper and board prices, which had started to fall in 1996 and continued to decline until May 1997. From September to December paper and board prices increased again by 5.3 per cent. The data are extracted from Statistics Finland Producer Price Indices.
Export prices went up by 3.4 in the year to December 1997. The rise was primarily due to the higher prices of base metals, pulp, wood and wood products and machinery and equipment. The price of pulp went up most, by 26.5 per cent, while base metal prices increased by 13.5 per cent.
From November to December export prices rose by half a per cent, due to higher paper, board and wood and wood products prices.
Import prices up by one per cent
From 1996 to 1997 import prices increased by one per cent, on average. The main contributors to the rise were higher prices of agricultural products, up by 11.5 per cent, energy minerals, up by 5.0 per cent, and machinery and equipment, up by 3.3 per cent.
In the year to December 1997, import prices went up by 1.4 per cent, due to increases in the prices of agricultural products, transport equipment, machinery and equipment, and oil products. The biggest increase - 24 per cent - occurred in agricultural products.
From November to December, import prices fell by 0.6 per cent, due to reductions in the prices of crude oil, electrical equipment and colour metals.
Producer prices for domestic goods up by 1.4 per cent
Comparing the average prices for the whole year, producer prices for domestic goods rose by 1.4 per cent from 1996 to 1997. This was mainly due to higher prices of wood and wood products, food and beverages, and heat. A year earlier, producer prices for domestic goods had gone down by 0.1 per cent.
In the year to December 1997, producer prices for domestic goods rose by 1.8 per cent due, especially, to higher prices of food and beverages, as well as pulp and wood and wood products.
From November to December, producer prices for domestic goods fell by 0.2 per cent due, chiefly, to lower prices of oil products and colour metals.
Wholesale prices up by 1.5 per cent
Wholesale prices rose by 1.5 per cent in the year to December 1997. Prices of domestic goods went up by 1.7 and of imported goods by 1.1 per cent.
Wholesale prices also went up by 1.5 per cent in the year to December 1997, but from November to December they fell by 0.3 per cent.
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| Changes in producer price indices from November to December and in the year to December and change from 1996 to 1997, % | |||
| Indices | 11/97 - 12/97 | 12/96 - 12/97 | 1996 - 1997 |
| Wholesale price index | -0.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Producer price index for manufactured goods, total | 0.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 |
| Producer price index for manufactured goods, domestic goods | -0.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Basic price index for domestic supply | -0.3 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
| Export price index | 0.5 | 3.4 | -2.1 |
| Import price index | -0.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
Source: Producer Price Indices, December 1997. Statistics Finland