The Daily. Wednesday, August 15, 2001

Machinery and equipment price indexes

In the second quarter, the Machinery and Equipment Price Index (1986=100) was 137.8, up 0.7% from the first quarter. The domestic and imported components increased by 0.4% and 1.0% respectively. Compared with the second quarter of 2000, the overall index advanced 3.5%; the domestic component was up 1.7% and the imported component rose 4.9%.

Compared with the first quarter of 2001, three industry groups contributed to the rise in the index in the second quarter: manufacturing (+0.8%), transport (+0.7%) and agriculture (+0.7%). The largest portion of the increase in manufacturing was due to rises in paper and allied products (+0.9%), chemicals (+0.7%) and primary metals (+0.8%). In the transport sector, electricity, air transport and telephones increased by 0.5%, 1.4% and 0.7%, respectively.

Year-over-year, the increase was spread among almost all sectors. The largest contributors were manufacturing (+3.8%), transport (+2.9%) and agriculture (+4.3%). Within the manufacturing sector, chemicals (+4.6%), paper and allied products (+3.9%), primary metals (+3.6%), transportation equipment (+3.9%) and food and beverages (+3.7%) led the way. The rise in the transport sector was due to increases in electricity (+2.5%) and air transport (+6.6%).

In the second quarter, more commodities contributed to the index's increase. Specialized industrial equipment (+0.9%), trucks (+0.8%), agricultural machinery excluding tractors (+1.4%), modifications and conversions services in air transport (+2.1%), and aircraft (+1.5%) contributed substantially. In the case of specialized industrial equipment, gas distribution, wood products and furniture showed the strongest growth. The domestic component rose 2.0%, 1.4% and 1.8% respectively for these industries, while imported wood products jumped to 2.6%. However a decrease in passenger automobiles (-0.4%) and office machinery (-0.7%) dampened the increase.

Machinery and Equipment Price Index

(1986=100)

The Canadian dollar was worth an average of 64.8 U.S. cents in the second quarter, a decrease of 0.9% from the prior quarter and down 3.9% from the second quarter of 2000.

Available on CANSIM: tables 3270013, 3270014 and 3270016 and matrices 2023-2025.

The second quarter issue of Construction price statistics (62-007-XPB, $24/$79) will be available in September.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods and data quality of this release, contact the Client Services Unit (613-951-9606, fax 613-951-1539, infounit@statcan.gc.ca) or Philippe Rhul (951-3818; rhulphi@statcan.gc.ca), Prices Division.