U.S. Import Prices Rise Less Than Expected in March

By Jessica Coacci

U.S. import prices rose less than expected in March from February and were driven by higher costs for fuel imports, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed Wednesday.

Overall import prices rose 0.8% in March, slightly lower than the downwardly revised 0.9% increase in February, the data showed.

That result was less than the 2.4% increase expected by a consensus of economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. Year-on-year prices were up 2.1%, the BLS said.

Import prices exclude duties, such as tariffs imposed on imports by the Trump administration, as well as transportation costs.

Petroleum import prices increased 9.4% as the war in Iran drove crude oil prices sharply higher. Prices for nonpetroleum imports were up 0.1%, the BLS data showed.

Write to Jessica Coacci at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-15-26 0914ET