US Export Prices Surge at Fastest Pace Since 2022

US export prices jumped 1.5% month-over-month in February 2026, far outpacing forecasts of 0.5% and marking the sharpest increase since May 2022. The rise was fueled by a 1.7% spike in nonagricultural exports, including industrial supplies, consumer goods, capital goods, and automotive products. Agricultural export prices also climbed 0.7%, led by higher costs for meat, soybeans, and vegetables, following a 0.2% gain in January. On a yearly basis, export prices climbed 3.5% in February, the largest increase since last September.

US export prices rose by 0.6% in January 2026, matching December's revised reading and surpassing forecasts of a 0.3% increase. Nonagricultural export prices increased 0.7%, after rising 0.7% in December, reflecting higher prices for capital goods, nonagricultural industrial supplies and materials, consumer goods, and automotive vehicles. The price index for agricultural exports increased 0.2%, following no change in December. Higher prices for export other foods and food preparations as well as corn more than offset lower prices for export fruit and meat. Year-on-year, export prices advanced by 2.6%, slowing from an upwardly revised 3.4% rise in December.

Prices of goods being exported from the United States inched higher by 0.3% from the previous month in December of 2025. From the previous year, prices of exported goods were 3.1% higher, inching down from the 3.2% increase in November to reflect the softest increase since July amid the half of data in selected months through the end of the year due to the US government shutdown. Despite the slowdown, the annual growth rate remained sharply higher than averages since late 2022 to reflect that US companies refrained from lowering their prices despite some retaliatory tariffs by the main US trading partners.