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Machinery and equipment price indexes
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The Machinery and Equipment Price Index (MEPI) fell by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. The import component fell by 3.4% over the same period, while the domestic component declined by 0.3%. The total MEPI was down by 8.7% compared with the fourth quarter of 2008, with the import component declining by 13.0%, while the domestic component fell by 0.7%.
All industries recorded decreases in prices of machinery and equipment purchased in the fourth quarter. The manufacturing sector (-2.9%) contributed the most to the total MEPI quarterly decline. Among the sector's subcomponents, the largest contributors to the quarterly decrease were transportation equipment manufacturing (-2.9%), primary metal and fabricated metal product manufacturing (-2.9%) and paper manufacturing (-2.6%). The second largest contributor to the total quarterly decrease was other services (excluding public administration), which fell 2.1%.
Among commodities, price decreases for computers and peripherals (-5.4%) and other industry specific machinery (-3.5%) were the largest contributors to the quarterly decline.
The Canadian dollar appreciated by 3.9% against the US dollar in the fourth quarter, while, year over year, it gained 14.8% against its US counterpart. Variations in exchange rates can have a strong influence on the MEPI given the high weight that imported machinery and equipment have in the index.
Available on CANSIM: tables 327-0041 and 327-0042.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2312.
The fourth quarter 2009 issue of Capital Expenditure Price Statistics (62-007-X, free) will be available in April.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-888-951-4550; 613-951-4550; fax: 613-951-3117; ppd-info-dpp@statcan.gc.ca), Producer Prices Division.
Table 1
| Industries | Relative importance1 | Fourth quarter 2008 | Third quarter 2009p | Fourth quarter 2009p | Third quarter to fourth quarter 2009 | Fourth quarter 2008 to fourth quarter 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1997=100) | % change | |||||
| Total Machinery and Equipment Price Index | 100.00 | 99.8 | 93.2 | 91.1 | -2.3 | -8.7 |
| Domestic | 32.03 | 108.5 | 108.0 | 107.7 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| Imported | 67.97 | 95.7 | 86.2 | 83.3 | -3.4 | -13.0 |
| Crop and animal production | 4.07 | 113.1 | 105.7 | 103.3 | -2.3 | -8.7 |
| Forestry and logging | 0.27 | 111.2 | 103.8 | 100.9 | -2.8 | -9.3 |
| Fishing, hunting and trapping | 0.08 | 116.6 | 113.3 | 112.0 | -1.1 | -3.9 |
| Support activities for agriculture and forestry | 0.10 | 109.5 | 103.1 | 101.1 | -1.9 | -7.7 |
| Mines, quarries and oil wells | 4.26 | 119.3 | 111.5 | 108.6 | -2.6 | -9.0 |
| Utilities | 3.55 | 111.3 | 103.9 | 101.0 | -2.8 | -9.3 |
| Construction | 3.54 | 108.7 | 101.3 | 98.3 | -3.0 | -9.6 |
| All manufacturing | 22.34 | 107.8 | 100.3 | 97.4 | -2.9 | -9.6 |
| Trade | 8.38 | 95.1 | 89.8 | 88.2 | -1.8 | -7.3 |
| Transportation (excluding pipeline transportation) | 7.66 | 114.4 | 106.2 | 103.9 | -2.2 | -9.2 |
| Pipeline transportation | 1.18 | 115.2 | 109.3 | 106.6 | -2.5 | -7.5 |
| Warehousing and storage | 0.26 | 115.1 | 109.9 | 107.6 | -2.1 | -6.5 |
| Finance, insurance and real estate | 19.90 | 91.2 | 84.5 | 83.3 | -1.4 | -8.7 |
| Private education services | 0.12 | 83.7 | 77.5 | 75.1 | -3.1 | -10.3 |
| Education services (excluding private), health care and social assistance | 2.09 | 93.0 | 87.8 | 85.8 | -2.3 | -7.7 |
| Other services (excluding public administration) | 16.39 | 84.8 | 79.6 | 77.9 | -2.1 | -8.1 |
| Public administration | 5.81 | 90.4 | 85.7 | 83.9 | -2.1 | -7.2 |
