By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Prices paid for goods imported into the U.S. increased 0.6% in January, led by fuel, close to analysts' expectations of a 0.7% gain, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Wednesday. Import prices have declined 1.3% over the past 12 months, indicating that imports won't be a large factor behind near-term inflation for consumers. Fuel import prices rose 2.4% in January, the largest increase since September. Fuel import prices were down 5.2% from the same period in the prior year. Meanwhile, nonfuel import prices rose 0.2% in January, and showed no growth compared with the same period in the prior year. The price of U.S.-made goods exported to other nations rose 0.3% in January. Also Wednesday, the government revised December's decline in import prices to 0.5% from a prior estimate of a 0.1% drop.
