|

US: Import Price Index rises 1.2% in March vs. 1% expected

  • US Import Price Index rose more than expected in March.
  • US Dollar Index stays relatively quiet below 92.00.

Prices for US imports rose 1.2% in March following an increase of 1.3% in February, the monthly data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed on Wednesday. This reading came in higher than the market expectation of 1%. On a yearly basis, the Import Price Index rose 6.9%.

Further details of the publication revealed that the Export Price Index in the same period increased 2.1% and 9.1%, on a monthly and yearly basis, respectively.

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index showed no immediate reaction to this report and was last seen posting small daily losses at 91.75.

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD holds recovery gains near 1.3400 despite soft UK CPI data

GBP/USD clings to recovery gains near 1.3400 in European trading on Wednesday. The UK annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation cooled to 2.6% in June against the market forecast of 2.7%, failing to deter the British Pound's rebound from weekly troughs. However, the pair's further upside could be limited by ongoing Mideast tensions and sustained US Dollar demand as a haven.

EUR/USD gains ground above 1.1400 on hawkish ECB tone

The EUR/USD pair holds positive ground near 1.1410 during the early European trading hours, bolstered by a hawkish tone from the European Central Bank. However, the potential upside for the major pair might be limited amid escalating military tensions and recent retaliatory airstrikes between the US and Iran.

Gold: Strong recovery might face roadblock as oil price extends gains

Gold price extends its winning streak for the third trading day on Wednesday, trading 1.5% higher to near $4,140 during the Asian session. The precious metal recovered strongly in the past few trading days from its three-week low of $3,959.80 as traders scaled back Federal Reserve’s interest rate hike expectations for the monetary policy meeting next week.

Cardano: Short-term recovery lacks retail support

Cardano price edges lower after the 50-day Exponential Moving Average at $1.770 capped two consecutive days of recovery seen earlier this week. ADA futures point to waning retail traction as Open Interest and trading volume decline amid elevated long liquidations. The technical outlook for ADA is bearish, as momentum remains subdued below a resistance trendline near $0.1782.

Chip stocks are more volatile than Oil

I continue to start the day by looking at these two charts: US crude & Kospi. The former is extending gains, trading above $86 per barrel for WTI and $92 per barrel for Brent, while the Kospi is up more than 4.5%, led higher by Korean chipmakers following a similar jump in VanEck's Semiconductor ETF yesterday.

US Dollar mid-year outlook: Exceptional currency, exceptional risks?
The US Dollar enters the second half of 2026 in a markedly different position from a year ago. The King currency has recovered, reflecting persistent US inflation, changing expectations for Fed policy, geopolitical tensions and renewed demand for defensive assets.