Import Prices Up a higher-than-expected 0.9 percent in January

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-economy-thursday.html

Jobless Claims Fall, Import Prices Up
By REUTERS

Filed at 9:30 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - <snip>

U.S. Treasury debt prices added to offshore losses as the unexpectedly buoyant layoff report and the whiff of imported inflation made it just a little more likely the Federal Reserve would keep raising interest rates, while the dollar strengthened against the euro.

A separate report showed the price of goods imported to the United States rose a higher-than-expected 0.9 percent in January, driven by higher petroleum costs.

Wall Street analysts had expected a 0.7 percent rise in import prices after declines in November and December.

The Labor Department said petroleum import prices surged 4.6 percent in January after falling 16.8 percent over the prior two months. Over the past year, petroleum import costs have risen 26.9 percent.<snip>