By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The prices paid for imported goods was unchanged in August, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 0.4% gain. And the increase in import prices in July was revised down to 0.1% instead of 0.2% as originally reported. Excluding fuel, import prices fell by 0.2% in August. Fuel imports rose 0.5% and food prices edged up 0.3%, but prices fell for imported autos, industrial supplies and consumer goods. Over the past 12 months import prices have fallen by 0.4%, a sign that inflationary pressure in the U.S. remains low. The price of U.S.-made goods exported to other nations, meanwhile, declined by 0.5% in August.
