Industrial product and raw materials price indexes, July 2012
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The Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) was down 0.5% in July compared with June. The decline was mainly attributable to chemical products and motor vehicles and other transportation equipment.
The Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI) rose 0.9%, largely because of higher prices for mineral fuels and vegetable products.
Prices for industrial goods decline
Chart description: Prices for industrial goods decline
Industrial Product Price Index, monthly change
The IPPI posted a third consecutive decrease in July, following declines of 0.3% in June and 0.2% in May. Of the 21 major commodity groups, 3 were up while 14 were down.
Chemical products made the largest contribution to the decline in the IPPI, mostly as a result of lower prices for industrial chemical products (-2.5%) and fertilizers (-13.5%). The decrease in fertilizers was led by urea.
The motor vehicles and other transportation equipment group was pushed down by motor vehicles (-1.3%). The increase in the value of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar in July was partly responsible for the decline.
Some Canadian producers who export their products are generally paid on the basis of prices set in US dollars. Consequently, the 1.4% increase in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar in July had the effect of reducing the corresponding prices in Canadian dollars. Without the impact of the exchange rate, the IPPI would have fallen 0.2% instead of 0.5%.
Downward pressure on the IPPI also came from primary metal products, especially other non-ferrous metal products, aluminum products and nickel products. In the other non-ferrous metal products group, gold and gold alloys in primary forms and silver and platinum were down.
Conversely, the group with the largest increase in July was fruit, vegetable, feeds and other food products, specifically feeds.
In July, petroleum and coal products had a negligible impact on the IPPI.
Industrial Product Price Index, 12-month change
Compared with July 2011, the IPPI edged up 0.3%. Therefore, the index continued its year-over-year advance, though the growth rate has slowed in recent months.
The main contributor to the increase in the IPPI was the motor vehicles and other transportation equipment group, specifically motor vehicles (+5.6%). This commodity group has not experienced a year-over-year decline since September 2011.
The 5.8% year-over-year decline in the value of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar contributed to the index's advance. Without the impact of the exchange rate, the IPPI would have fallen 1.2% instead of increasing 0.3%.
Relative to July 2011, the growth in the IPPI was moderated mainly by primary metal products, especially other non-ferrous metal products, aluminum products and nickel products.
Petroleum and coal products (-3.7%) were also down compared with July 2011. The IPPI excluding petroleum and coal products was up 0.8% during the same period.
Raw Materials Price Index, monthly change
The RMPI rose 0.9% in July, which marks a change in the trend observed over the last five months. Of the seven major commodity groups, three were down.
Prices for raw materials increase
Chart description: Prices for raw materials increase
The increase in the RMPI was mainly a result of mineral fuels (+1.1%), specifically crude oil (+1.2%) as well as vegetable products (+5.1%). The RMPI excluding mineral fuels was up 0.8% in July.
Vegetable products were driven upward primarily by grains, particularly corn and wheat, which posted substantial increases in July. These price increases can be attributed partly to reduced supply in North America, where drought conditions disrupted normal production.
The advance in the RMPI was moderated by lower prices for non-ferrous metals, pushed downward mainly by precious metals, particularly gold and alloys in primary form and silver and platinum.
Raw Materials Price Index, 12-month change
Compared with July 2011, the RMPI fell 10.0%. This was the fifth consecutive year-over-year decline.
Downward pressure on the index was exerted mainly by mineral fuels, specifically crude oil (-17.3%). Compared with July 2011, the RMPI excluding mineral fuels was down 3.3%.
Also contributing to the decline in the RMPI were non-ferrous metals, particularly copper concentrates.
Animals and animal products (+4.3%) had a slight moderating effect on the year-over-year decrease in the RMPI.
Note to readers
All data in this release are seasonally unadjusted and usually subject to revision for a period of six months (for example, when the July index is released, the index for the previous January becomes final).
The Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) reflects the prices that producers in Canada receive as the goods leave the plant gate. It does not reflect what the consumer pays. Unlike the Consumer Price Index, the IPPI excludes indirect taxes and all the costs that occur between the time a good leaves the plant and the time the final user takes possession of it, including transportation, wholesale and retail costs.
Canadian producers export many goods. They often indicate their prices in foreign currencies, especially in US dollars, which are then converted into Canadian dollars. In particular, this is the case for motor vehicles, pulp, paper and wood products. Therefore, a rise or fall in the value of the Canadian dollar against its US counterpart affects the IPPI. But the conversion into Canadian dollars only reflects how respondents provide their prices. Moreover, this is not a measure that takes into account the full effect of exchange rates, since that is a more difficult analytical task.
The conversion of prices received in US dollars is based on the average monthly exchange rate (noon spot rate) established by the Bank of Canada and is available on CANSIM in table 176-0064 (series v37426). Monthly and annual variations in the exchange rate, as described in the text, are calculated according to the indirect quotation of the exchange rate (for example, CAN$1 = US$X).
The Raw Materials Price Index (RMPI) reflects the prices paid by Canadian manufacturers for key raw materials. Many of those prices are set on the world market. However, as few prices are denominated in foreign currencies, their conversion into Canadian dollars has only a minor effect on the calculation of the RMPI.
Available without charge in CANSIM: tables CANSIM table329-0056 to 329-0068 and CANSIM table330-0007.
Table 329-0056: Industry price indexes by major commodity aggregations.
Table 329-0057: Industry price indexes by industry.
Table 329-0058: Industry price indexes by stage of processing.
Tables 329-0059 to 329-0068: Industry price indexes by commodity.
Table 330-0007: Raw materials price indexes by commodity.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers survey number2306 and survey number2318.
The July 2012 issue of Industry Price Indexes (Catalogue number62-011-X, free) will soon be available.
The industrial product and raw materials price indexes for August will be released on October 1.
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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