US import prices drop 0.3% in November in line with forecasts

US import prices dropped markedly last month after two consecutive monthly gains, amid the lower cost of imported petroleum and stronger US Dollar. According to the US Department of Labor, import prices fell 0.3% in November, the biggest decline since February, following the previous month's downwardly revised gain  of 0.4% and meeting analysts' expectations. On an annual basis, import prices decreased 0.1%, the smallest fall since July 2014, compared to October's drop of 0.3%. Last month's drop in import prices is unlikely to impact expectations that the Fed will raise rates at the end of its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday this week. The Greenback's surge and a plunge in oil prices between June 2014 and December 2015 dampened import price inflation. Imported petroleum prices declined 4.7% in November, the biggest drop since February, following the prior month's increase of 7.3% and offsetting a 10.6% rise in the price of imported natural gas. Excluding petroleum, import prices held steady last month, compared to October's 0.1% decline. The report also showed that export prices fell 0.1% in the same month, after climbing 0.2% in October. Year-over-year, they dropped 0.3% in November, the smallest decrease since August 2014, after dipping 1.0% on the same basis in October.