Export Prices Index is a monthly index which measures the price changes of US export goods, and is released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It consists of various categories such as agricultural exports, nonagricultural exports such as industrial supplies or materials, capital and consumer goods, automotive vehicles. Higher than expected readings are considered positive for the US Dollar and the US economy. The export goods contribute about 10% to the overall US GDP, and economic theory suggests that a depreciation of US Dollar should make exports of US goods cheaper, increasing the global demand for them.
The United States Export Prices
The United States Export Prices Index latest reading for May 2017 was -0.7%, lower than the forecast of 0.1% and the previous reading of 0.2%. This May decrease was important as it was the first monthly decrease since August 2016. The United States Export Prices had an all-time high reading of 135.30 Index Points in September of 2011, with an all-time low price of 82.40 Index Points in September of 1986. For the month of May 2017 the index had a reading of 121.7 index points. The long-term average for the United States Export prices for the period of years 1983-2017 stands at 108.12 Index Points. The index reading had a peak in April of 2017 for the first semester of the year with a reading of the year, with a reading of 122.3 Index Points.
