Wholesale prices down 0.5%

There was a 0.5 per cent fall in the prices paid for goods leaving Irish factories in December, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Factoring in last month’s fall in the wholesale price index, which measures the selling price of goods manufactured in the State, annual prices were down 3.8 per cent.

This compares with an annual decrease of 6.5 per cent in November 2009.

Over the year, the price index for export sales fell by 4.6 per cent and the price index for home sales by 0.9 per cent.

The most significant monthly increases were in office machinery and computers. Prices for office machinery and computers increased by 1 per cent., while prices for beverages dipped 3.8 per cent last month.