---
title: "Nonfuel import prices rise 5.5%, the most since May 2022, as fuel falls"
url: "https://etf.net/news/nonfuel-import-prices-rise-5-5-the-most-since-may-2022-as-fuel-falls-2026-09-16"
published_at: "2026-09-16T14:06:04.467Z"
updated_at: "2026-09-16T14:06:04.467Z"
byline: "ETF.net Research"
---

# Nonfuel import prices rise 5.5%, the most since May 2022, as fuel falls

August U.S. import prices rose 0.7% and 7.0% from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday, 0.3 percentage point above forecast, with the Fed due at 2 p.m.

By ETF.net Research. Published Sep 16, 2026.

Nonfuel U.S. import prices rose **0.8%** in August and **5.5%** from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday, the largest annual increase since 5.9% in the year ended May 2022. Fuel import prices fell **0.1%** on the month and have dropped 10.2% over three months, even as they remain 26.8% higher than a year earlier.

All import prices rose **0.7%** after back-to-back 0.3% declines, taking the 12-month gain to **7.0%**, the largest since the 7.7% rise in the year ended August 2022. A 0.4% monthly increase and a 6.7% annual increase had been forecast. Nonfuel industrial supplies and materials, 14.5% of the index, rose **2.0%** after a 0.9% drop in July, adding 0.29 percentage points to the headline increase, with finished metals shapes leading. Capital-goods prices increased 0.9% on computers, peripherals, and semiconductors. Reuters said an artificial-intelligence spending boom is driving up prices for imported capital goods. Consumer goods excluding automotives rose 0.5%.

Last week, the CPI rose 0.4% in August and **3.4%** over 12 months, with prices excluding food and energy up 0.3% and 2.4%. The producer-price index for final demand rose 0.4% and 5.4% from a year earlier. The BLS import series excludes duties, recording what foreign sellers charged.

As of 9:45 a.m. Eastern, the S&P 500 was up 0.2% near 7,601 and the 10-year Treasury yield was at **4.97%**. West Texas Intermediate was at $103.64 a barrel, down 2.1%, with Brent at $107.21. [The Fed is expected to hike with oil still above $100](https://etf.net/news/the-fed-is-expected-to-hike-with-oil-still-above-100-2026-09-16) at 2 p.m. Eastern. This morning's import-price print is a third August inflation reading the Fed already has in hand. It does not move the 2 p.m. decision.

Source: etf.net, https://etf.net/news/nonfuel-import-prices-rise-5-5-the-most-since-may-2022-as-fuel-falls-2026-09-16. Please cite the page URL.