Prices of imported goods rose 0.5% in March, matching analysts' expectations, as petroleum prices rose, the Labor Department estimated Thursday. Import prices are down 14.9% in the past year, the largest year-over-year decline since data was first published in September 1982. In February, the imports index declined a revised 0.1%, compared with a prior estimate of a 0.2% dip. In March, imported petroleum prices increased 10.5%, the largest monthly gain since November 2007. However, the petroleum import price index is down 52% over the past 12 months. Prices received by U.S. exporters fell 0.6% in March, with declines in agricultural and non-agricultural products. The exports index is down 6.7% over the past 12 months, the largest annual decline since the data was first published in September 1983.
