Import prices slip 0.1% in December

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
Import prices fell 0.1% in December, the fourth fall in five months, the Labor Department said Friday.
Economists polled by MarketWatch had anticipated a 0.2% gain.
November prices were revised to show a 0.8% gain from an initially reported 0.7% advance.
Excluding fuel and food, prices rose 0.1% in December.
For all of 2011, import prices rose 5.3%, the third year in a row they have increased.