Wholesale Services Price Index, fourth quarter 2011
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The Wholesale Services Price Index (WSPI) declined 0.8% in the fourth quarter, marking the first quarter-over-quarter decline of the WSPI since the first quarter of 2011.
Wholesalers of petroleum products (-13.9%) posted the largest margin decline in the fourth quarter. Margins also declined for wholesalers of motor vehicles and parts (-1.9%), food, beverage and tobacco products (-0.7%) and machinery, equipment and supplies (-0.5%).
Wholesalers of farm products (+2.0%) posted the largest quarterly margin increase, followed by building materials and supplies (+1.7%), miscellaneous products (+0.7%) and personal and household goods (+0.3%).
Compared with the same quarter in 2010, the WSPI advanced 0.1% in the fourth quarter. Farm products (+14.0%) continued to report the largest year-over-year margin increase, coinciding with a 12.0% rise in the Farm Product Price Index between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011.
Year over year, margin increases were also recorded by wholesalers of miscellaneous products (+7.0%) and personal and household goods (+0.9%).
In the fourth quarter, wholesalers of petroleum products (-7.7%) posted their fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year margin declines.
Year-over-year margin decreases were also recorded by wholesalers of motor vehicles and parts (-1.5%), machinery, equipment and supplies (-1.4%), building material and supplies (-1.3%) and food, beverage and tobacco products (-1.1%).
Services Producer Price Index: Wholesale services
Chart description: Services Producer Price Index: Wholesale services
Note to readers
Data for the most recent quarter are preliminary. The previous quarter of the series is subject to revision. The series is also subject to an annual revision released with second quarter data of the following reference year. The indexes are not seasonally adjusted.
The Wholesale Services Price Index (WSPI) is part of the Services Producer Price Index program at Statistics Canada. The WSPI is not a wholesale selling price index. The index represents the change in the price of the wholesale service. The price of the wholesale service is defined as the margin price, which is the difference between the average purchase price and the average selling price of the wholesale product being priced.
Available without charge in CANSIM: table CANSIM table332-0006.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number survey number5106.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Statistics Canada's National Contact Centre (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 613-951-8116; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or the Media Hotline (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@canada.ca).
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