Producer price indices - March 2014

In March 2014 compared with the previous month, agricultural producer prices grew by 0.8%. Prices of market services and construction work prices were both higher by 0.6% and 0.2%, respectively. Prices of industrial producer went down by 0.2%. In comparison to March 2013, prices of agricultural producer decreased by 4.2%. Prices of industrial producer and prices of market services were both lower by 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively. Construction works prices stayed unchanged.

Month-on-month comparison:
Agricultural producer prices went up by 0.8%. Prices of cereals increased by 1.0%, as well as cattle for slaughter (+1.4%) and oil plants (+2.2%). Prices of poultry (+5.5%) and fresh vegetables (+12.1%) increased. On the decrease were prices of pigs for slaughter (-3.2%), fruit (-4.5%) and potatoes (-5.2%).

Prices of industrial producers decreased by 0.2% Prices went down the most in ‘coke, refined petroleum products’ (-2.1%), ‘chemicals and chemical products’ (-0.9%) and ‘mining and quarrying’ (-0.4%). Prices were lower in ‘food products, beverages, tobacco’ (-0.3%), thereof ‘grain mill products, starches and starch products’ (-1.2%), ‘beverages’ (-0.8%) and ‘meat and meat products’ (-0.6%). Prices grew primarily in ‘wood, wood products, paper, printing’ (+0.2%) and ‘rubber and plastic products, other non-metallic mineral products’ (+0.1%).

According to an estimate, construction work prices went up by 0.2% and construction material input prices grew by 0.3%.

Market services prices in the business sphere grew by 0.6%. Prices of ‘advertising and market research services’ went up by 9.3%. Prices of ‘financial services, except insurance and pension funding’ were higher by 2.8%. Market services prices excluding advertising services went up by 0.1%.

Year-on-year comparison:
Agricultural producer prices went down by 4.2% (-5.0% in February). Prices of crop products fell by 13.9%, thereof cereals (-21.1%) and oil plants (-11.1%). Higher were prices of fresh vegetables (+34.7%), potatoes (+32.8%) and fruit (+8.6%). Prices of animal products went up by 8.2% due to increasing prices of milk (+21.6%). On the decrease were prices of poultry
(-1.6%), cattle for slaughter (-3.7%) and eggs (-12.0%).

Industrial producer prices decreased by 0.8% (-0.7% in February). The lower prices in ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning’ (-8.8%) had the largest influence on the total price level. Prices went down in ‘mining and quarrying’ (-4.0%), ‘basic pharmaceutical products’ (-3.0%) and in ‘coke, refined petroleum products’ (-2.7%). Prices increased the most in ‘transport equipment’ (+4.0%) and ‘wood, wood products, paper, printing’ (+3.6%). Prices were higher in ‘food products, beverages, tobacco’ (+0.3%), thereof ‘dairy products’ (+12.0%) and ‘meat and meat products’ (+2.0%). Vice versa, prices went down particularly in ‘vegetable and animal oils and fats’ (-17.4%), ‘grain mill products, starches and starch products’ (-12.4%) and ‘prepared animal feeds’ (-10.3%).
Among the main industrial groupings prices of ‘energy’ (-6.2%) decreased the most, year-on-year.

According to an estimate, construction work prices stayed unchanged (-0.4% in February) and construction material input prices grew by 1.1% (+0.9% in February).

Market services prices in the business sphere decreased by 0.5% (-1.0% in February). On the decrease were prices of ‘telecommunication services’ (-20.6%) and ‘freight rail transport services’ (-5.8%). Increasing were prices in ‘postal and courier services’ (+8.2%), prices of ‘advertising and market research services’ (+4.2%), prices of ‘financial services, except insurance and pension funding’ (+3.7%) and prices of ‘insurance services’ (+2.8%). Market services prices excluding advertising services decreased by 0.7% (-1.5% in February).

Industrial producer prices in the EU – February 2014*
According to the Eurostat News Releases, industrial producer prices decreased in February by 0.2% (-0.3% in January) in EU28, month-on-month. Among the Member States for which data are available, the largest decreases in prices were observed in Estonia (-1.9%), Slovakia (-1.6%), Greece (-1.5%) and Lithuania (-0.9%). Prices went down in Austria (-0.3%), Poland (-0.2%) and Germany (-0.1%) and remained stable in the Czech Republic. The largest increases were observed in Denmark (+0.4%), Hungary (+0.3%) and Croatia (+0.2%).

Industrial producer prices decreased in February by 1.6% (-1.1% in January) in EU28, year-on-year. Prices fell in almost all Member States, the most in Cyprus (-5.4%), Lithuania (-4.6%), Belgium (-4.2%) and Slovakia (-3.8%). Prices went down in Austria (-1.8%), Poland (-1.4%), Germany (-0.9%) and in the Czech Republic (-0.7%). The only increases were recorded in Ireland (+1.1%), Latvia (+0.5%) and Malta (+0.3%).

* Preliminary data.

Analysis - Producer price indices in 1st quarter of 2014


Notes:
Responsible manager of the CZSO: Jiri Mrazek, Department Director, phone (+420) 274 052 533, jiri.mrazek@csu.gov.cz
Contact: Jiri Sulc, phone (+420) 274 052 148, e-mail: jiri.sulc@csu.gov.cz
Miloslav Beranek, phone (+420) 274 052 665, e-mail: miloslav.beranek@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO surveys
End of data collection / end of data processing:
Agricultural producer price indices: 24th calendar day of reference month / 8th calendar day of the following month
Industrial producer price indices: 20th calendar day of reference month / 7th calendar day of the following month
Construction work price indices: last calendar day of reference month / 5th working day of the following month
Market services price indices: 15th calendar day of reference month / 7th calendar day of the following month
Except for the construction work price indices, the published data are finalised. Estimates of the construction work price indices are carrying out on the 9th calendar day of the following day. Construction work price indices are updated using the finished quarterly survey and the finalised data are released on the 45th calendar day of the following quarter.
Related publications: 011041-14 Price Indices of Constructions Works, Price Indices of Constructions and Indices of Construction Costs
011039-14 Producer Price Indices – Basic Information
011044-14 Industrial Producer Price Indices
011045-14 Agricultural Producer Price Indices
011046-14 Market Services Price Indices in the Business Sphere
Internet: /catalogue-of-products
http://www.czso.cz/eng/edicniplan.nsf/aktual/ep-7?opendocument#70
Next News Release: 19 May 2014

Text not edited for language.