Prices of imported goods rose 1.6% in April, the largest increase since June, as petroleum prices gained, the Labor Department estimated Wednesday. Analysts polled by MarketWatch had expected the import price index to rise 1%. Despite the monthly gain, import prices were down 16.3% in the past year, the largest 12-month decline since data was first published in September 1982. In March, the imports index rose a revised 0.2%, compared with a prior estimate of a 0.5% gain. In April, imported petroleum prices increased 15.4%, the largest monthly gain since March 2002. However, the petroleum imports price index is down almost 50% over 12 months. Prices received by U.S. exporters rose 0.5% in April, with gains in agricultural and non-agricultural products. The exports index is down 6.8% over 12 months - a drop that matches March's 12-month change as the largest decline since the data was first published in September 1983.
