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Machinery and equipment price indexes
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The Machinery and Equipment Price Index (MEPI) fell by 1.0% in the first quarter. The import component fell by 1.6% over this period, while the domestic component remained unchanged. Compared with the first quarter of 2009, the total MEPI was down by 11.6%, the import component fell by 16.7% and the domestic component decreased by 1.7%.
Except for transportation (excluding pipeline transportation), all other industries recorded decreases in prices of machinery and equipment purchased in the first quarter. The manufacturing industry (-1.2%) 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 (-1.4%), primary metal and fabricated metal product manufacturing (-1.1%) and plastic and rubber products manufacturing (-2.5%). The second largest contributor to the total quarterly decrease was finance, insurance and real estate with a quarterly decline of 1.2%.
Among commodities, price decreases for other industry specific machinery (-1.9%) and automobiles, excluding passenger vans (-2.2%) were the largest contributors to the quarterly decrease.
The Canadian dollar appreciated by 1.5% against the US dollar in the first quarter, while, year over year, it gained 19.6% 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 has on the index.
Available on CANSIM: tables 327-0041 and 327-0042.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 2312.
The first quarter 2010 issue of Capital Expenditure Price Statistics (62-007-X, free) will be available in July.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact the 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 | First quarter 2009 | Fourth quarter 2009p | First quarter 2010p | Fourth quarter 2009 to first quarter 2010 | First quarter 2009 to first quarter 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1997=100) | % change | |||||
| Total Machinery and Equipment Price Index | 100.00 | 102.0 | 91.1 | 90.2 | -1.0 | -11.6 |
| Domestic | 32.03 | 109.7 | 107.8 | 107.8 | 0.0 | -1.7 |
| Imported | 67.97 | 98.4 | 83.3 | 82.0 | -1.6 | -16.7 |
| Crop and animal production | 4.07 | 116.5 | 103.2 | 102.6 | -0.6 | -11.9 |
| Forestry and logging | 0.27 | 114.8 | 100.7 | 99.0 | -1.7 | -13.8 |
| Fishing, hunting and trapping | 0.08 | 118.6 | 112.0 | 111.9 | -0.1 | -5.6 |
| Support activities for agriculture and forestry | 0.10 | 112.8 | 101.1 | 100.5 | -0.6 | -10.9 |
| Mines, quarries and oil wells | 4.26 | 122.8 | 108.6 | 107.3 | -1.2 | -12.6 |
| Utilities | 3.55 | 114.3 | 100.9 | 100.0 | -0.9 | -12.5 |
| Construction | 3.54 | 112.1 | 98.3 | 96.8 | -1.5 | -13.6 |
| All manufacturing | 22.34 | 110.2 | 97.4 | 96.2 | -1.2 | -12.7 |
| Trade | 8.38 | 96.8 | 88.2 | 87.7 | -0.6 | -9.4 |
| Transportation (excluding pipeline transportation) | 7.66 | 117.2 | 103.9 | 103.9 | 0.0 | -11.3 |
| Pipeline transportation | 1.18 | 118.8 | 106.3 | 105.6 | -0.7 | -11.1 |
| Warehousing and storage | 0.26 | 117.8 | 107.8 | 106.9 | -0.8 | -9.3 |
| Finance, insurance and real estate | 19.90 | 92.9 | 83.3 | 82.3 | -1.2 | -11.4 |
| Private education services | 0.12 | 86.1 | 75.1 | 74.1 | -1.3 | -13.9 |
| Education services (excluding private), health care and social assistance | 2.09 | 95.5 | 85.8 | 85.2 | -0.7 | -10.8 |
| Other services (excluding public administration) | 16.39 | 86.5 | 77.9 | 77.2 | -0.9 | -10.8 |
| Public administration | 5.81 | 92.2 | 84.1 | 83.5 | -0.7 | -9.4 |
