The average selling and consumption prices of the Dutch manufacturing industry did not change much during the first quarter of 2002 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2001.
In the third and fourth quarter of last year prices were still falling. The preliminary figures by Statistics Netherlands further show that the prices for products sold and for products bought, such as raw materials and semi-manufactured goods were lower in the first quarter of this year than in the first quarter of 2001.
Selling prices stable after drops
The prices charged by Dutch producers were on average 0.2% lower in the first quarter of 2002 than in the fourth quarter of last year. This development follows price drops in the third and fourth quarter of 2001, when selling prices fell by 2.4% and 2.7% respectively on the previous quarter. These drops were mainly due to the price drops in the oil industry. In the first quarter, however, the oil price developments hardly influenced the total price developments.
The products sold in the Netherlands during the first quarter of 2002 were on average 0.5% more expensive than in the fourth quarter of 2001. Foreign buyers on the other hand paid 0.6% less in the first quarter than they had in the fourth quarter.
Dutch selling prices in the first quarter were down 3.9% on the price level during the first quarter van 2001.
Consumption prices unchanged for producers
The Dutch manufacturing industry paid about the same price for the raw materials and semi-manufactured goods purchased in the first quarter of this year as during the fourth quarter of 2001. In the third and fourth quarter of last year the consumption prices were still going down. Compared to the previous quarter the entrepreneurs paid 4.6% less in the fourth quarter for the raw materials and semi-manufactured goods they purchased, and 2.9% less in the third quarter.
The purchased raw materials and semi-manufactured goods cost 6.0% less in the first quarter of this year than in the first quarter of 2001.
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(source: Statistics Netherlands)
