The Producers' Prices for Manufactured Goods Slightly Declined in February

The producers prices for manufactured goods increased by 5.4% in February as compared with the same month of last year, dropped by 0.4 percentage points over that in January. Purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels, and power were up by 9.8%, down by 1.0 percentage point.

In February, the producers prices for means of production were up by 7.2% over the same month of last year, its impact on the total level of producers prices for manufactured goods was up by 5.3 percentage points. Of which, the prices for mining and quarrying industry increased by 21.7%; that of raw materials industry was up by 10.5%, manufacturing industry, up by 3.0%. The producers prices for means of consumer goods was up by 0.4% than the same month of last year, a rise of 0.1 percentage points influence towards the general level of producers prices for manufactured goods. Wherein the prices for food went up by 2.4%, that for clothing, up by 0.8%, that of articles for daily use, up by 2.0%, and that of durable consumer goods dropped by 3.2%.

In terms of different categories:

1. Prices for crude oil and oil products increased distinctly. In February, the producers prices for crude oil was up by 22.4% over that in the same month of last year, its impact on the general level of producers prices for manufactured goods was up by 0.7 percentage points. The prices for oil products, such as gasoline, kerosene and diesel oil rose by 14.7%, 12.0% and 18.7% respectively.

2. The price growth for downstream products slowed downed obviously. In February, of the producers prices for synthetic materials and chemical fiber products, that of the price for polystyrene was up by 18.5% over the same month last year, or down by 3.4 percentage points over that in previous month; latex rose by 6.3%, dropped by 18.0 percentage points; terylene silk was up by 12.9%, down by 1.2 percentage points.

3. The prices for coal products continued to increase. In February, the producers prices for mining and cleaning industry rose by 26.5% over that in the same month last year. Wherein the producers prices for crude coal rose by 26.8%, or 0.8 percentage points higher.

4. The growth rate of prices for steel products showed the trend of declining, but the steel plate increased greatly. In February, the prices for smelting and pressing of ferrous metals went up by 7.4% as compared with that in the month, or 3.4 percentage points lower than that in the previous month. Of which, the prices for ordinary large rolled-steel, medium rolled-steels, small rolled-steels went up by 1.8%, 0.4%, and 1.4% respectively, with their growth rate declining by 4.1, 4.3, and 4.4 percentage points respectively. The wire rod dropped by 7%, and heavy steel plate rose by 17.7%.

5. The price rise for nonferrous metals products continued decline. In February, the producers prices for smelting and pressing nonferrous metals increased by 12.4%, it dropped by 2.7 percentage points over that in the January. Wherein, the producers prices for copper, aluminum, lead, zinc and nickel rose by 2.9%--21.9%, the growth rate decreased as compared with the January.

Wherein the purchasing prices for 9 kinds of raw materials, fuels and power products, that of the prices for fuel and power, ferrous and non-ferrous metals materials, and chemical material rose up by 13.1%, 11%, 15% and 12.6% respectively.

As compared with the same period of last year, the producers prices for manufactured goods was up by 5.6 % in January and February, purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels, and power rose by 10.3%.