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Machinery and equipment price indexes
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The Machinery and Equipment Price Index (MEPI) stood at 83.8 (1997=100) in the fourth quarter, down 3.3% from the third quarter. The import component index fell 5.1%, while the domestic index edged down 0.5%. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2006, the total MEPI was down 8.1%, as the import index decreased 12.3% while the domestic index edged down 0.8%.
All industries recorded decreases in prices of machinery and equipment purchased in the fourth quarter. Manufacturing industries (-3.9%) contributed the most to the total MEPI quarterly decrease. Among the sector's subcomponents, the largest contributors to the quarterly decrease were transportation equipment manufacturing (-4.3%), primary metal and fabricated metal product manufacturing (-3.9%) and paper manufacturing (-2.9%). The second largest contributor to the total quarterly decrease was other services (excluding public administration), which fell 3.4%, with its sub-component, information and cultural industries, falling 3.6%.
Among commodities, price decreases for computers and peripherals (-6.7%) and other industry specific machinery (-4.9%) were the largest contributors to the quarterly decrease.
The US dollar depreciated 6.0% against its Canadian counterpart in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Available on CANSIM: tables 327-0041 and 327-0042.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2312.
The third quarter 2007 issue of Capital Expenditure Price Statistics (62-007-XWE, free) will be available soon.
For more information or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact the Client Services Unit (toll-free 1-866-230-2248; 613-951-9606; fax: 613-951-1539; prices-prix@statcan.gc.ca) or Adrian Fisher (613-951-9612; adrian.fisher@statcan.gc.ca), Prices Division.
Table(s).
