Annual manufacturing prices down 0.4% in January
Factory gate prices increased by 0.6% in January, according to the Central Statistics Office.
This compares to a decrease of 0.6% recorded for January of last year. As a result, the annual percentage change showed a decrease of 0.4% in January 2005, which compares to a decrease of 1.6% in December 2004.
In the month, the index for export sales increased by 0.8% and the index for home sales decreased by 0.1%. In the year there was an increase in home sales of 0.8% and a decrease in export sales of 0.7%.
In the month, the most significant changes were increases in pharmaceuticals and other chemical products (including man-made fibres) (+3.9%), basic chemicals (+0.9%) and other food products (+1.4%), while there was a decrease in office machinery and computers (-0.9%).
Contributing to the annual change was a decrease in office machinery and computers (-14.0%), while there was an increase in pharmaceuticals and other chemical products (including man-made fibres) (+10.1%) and other food products (+9.3%).
The yearly price index for mining and quarrying increased by 8.0%, while there was a monthly increase of 1.2%.
Building material prices increased by 11.8% in the year since January 2004.
The most notable yearly changes were increases in structural steel (+58.3%) and reinforcing metal (+46.8%).
Construction material prices decreased by 0.2% in the month.
Year on year, the price of capital goods increased by 6.0%, while the monthly price remained unchanged.
The price of energy products increased by 12.6% in the year since
January 2004, while petroleum fuels increased by 9.5%.
In January 2005, there was a monthly increase in energy products of 2.3%, while petroleum fuels increased by 0.4%.
