Export prices sink the most since index started

U.S. import prices declined 2.6 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today, following a 2.4-percent decrease in March. Both monthly declines were 

led by falling fuel prices. Prices for U.S. exports fell 3.3 percent in April, after 

decreasing 1.7 percent the previous month.

Imports

U.S. import prices fell 2.6 percent in April, the largest monthly drop since the index 

declined 3.2 percent in January 2015. The April decrease followed a 2.4-percent drop in

March and a 0.7-percent decline in February. Prices for U.S. imports also fell on a 

12-month basis, decreasing 6.8 percent for the year ended in April. The decrease was 

the largest 12-month drop since the index declined 8.3 percent from December 2014 to

December 2015. 

Exports 

The price index for U.S. exports decreased 3.3 percent in April following declines of 

1.7 percent in March and 1.2 percent in February. The April drop was the largest 

1-month decrease in export prices since the index was first published on a monthly 

basis in December 1988. Declining prices for both nonagricultural exports and 

agricultural exports contributed to the April decrease. Prices for U.S. exports fell 

7.0 percent from April 2019 to April 2020, the largest over-the-year decline since a 

7.3-percent drop for the year ended September 2015.