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Machinery and Equipment Price Index, second quarter 2018

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Released: 2018-08-24

The Machinery and Equipment Price Index (MEPI) increased 2.1% in the second quarter, following a 0.2% decrease in the first quarter. The import component was up 2.4%, while the domestic component increased 0.7%.

The prices of imported machinery and equipment are reported in US dollars and are converted to Canadian dollars. Consequently, any change in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar will affect the level of the index. The Canadian dollar depreciated 2.0% relative to the US dollar in the second quarter compared with the first quarter.

All industries post increases in the second quarter

Finance, insurance and real estate (+1.8%) was the largest contributor to the quarterly increase in the MEPI. Other major contributors were all manufacturing (+2.3%), mines, quarries and oil wells (+2.0%), transportation and warehousing (+2.1%) and other services excluding public administration (+1.8%).

Prices rise for most commodities in the second quarter

Logging, mining and construction machinery and equipment (+1.8%), computers and computer peripheral equipment (+2.0%), other industry specific machinery (+2.8%) and aircraft and aircraft engines (+2.5%) all contributed to the quarterly price increase.

Year-over-year change

The total MEPI decreased 2.4% in the second quarter compared with the same quarter of 2017.

The import component was down 3.3%, while the domestic component increased 0.1%. The movement in the import component was influenced by the year-over-year appreciation of the Canadian dollar (+4.2%) against the US dollar.


  Note to readers

The Machinery and Equipment Price Index (MEPI) provides quarterly estimates of price changes for machinery and equipment purchased by industries in Canada.

Data are available at the Canada level only.

The conversion of prices received in US dollars is based on the average monthly exchange rate (end of day) established by the Bank of Canada, which is available in table: 33-10-0163-01 (formerly CANSIM 176-0081). Quarterly and year-over-year variations in the exchange rate, as described in the release, are calculated according to the indirect quotation of the exchange rate (for example, CAN$1 = US$X).

The contribution of a given sub-aggregate to the composite price change depends on both the price change exhibited by the sub-aggregate and its importance in the basket, as measured by the weight.

With each release, data for the previous two quarters may have been revised. This index is not seasonally adjusted.

A Historical Timeline of Canadian Producer Price Statistics

"A Historical Timeline of Canadian Producer Price Statistics," which is part of the Prices Analytical Series (Catalogue number62F0014M), was created to showcase the key milestones in the history of Canadian producer price statistics. This historical timeline contains answers to questions such as: Who collected Canada's first statistics? What do Canadian producer price indexes measure?

Infographic: Producer Price Indexes at a Glance

The infographic "Producer Price Indexes at a Glance," which is part of Statistics Canada — Infographics (Catalogue number11-627-M) demonstrates how producer price indexes for goods and services are calculated and why they are important for the Canadian economy.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).

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