Import Prices Rise 0.4% in February

The price of goods imported to the United States rose 0.4% in February, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Prices excluding petroleum dipped 0.1%.

The overall increase followed little change in January.

The gain was lower than economists’ median forecast of a 0.6% increase, Bloomberg reported.

The cost of food imports fell 3%, the biggest decline since February 2009.

U.S. export prices rose 0.4%, following a 0.2% gain in January, Labor said.