Provisional estimates show that when comparing May 2008 to the corresponding month last year, the industrial producer price index of the sampled enterprises edged up by 0.1 per cent.

In May 2008, producer prices in total industry increased by 4.2 per cent when compared with the previous month. Prices in the domestic market were unchanged for the Capital Goods sectors, Consumer Durables and Energy sectors while increases were registered for the Consumer Non-Durables and the Intermediate Goods sectors.

Non-eurozone export prices were stable during the comparable months except for an increase in the Capitals Goods and the Intermediate Goods sectors.

Eurozone export prices principally registered increases in the Intermediate Goods sector while the principal increase in the domestic market was in the Consumer Non-Durables sector.

When comparing May 2008 to the same month last year, producer prices registered an increase in the domestic market for all Main Industrial Groupings particularly under ‘Capital Goods’ and ‘Intermediate Goods’. On the other hand, decreases were registered for both the eurozone and non-eurozone export markets.