Wholesale prices fall 5.2pc

Monthly factory gate prices fell by 0.6 per cent last month compared to September and were down 5

Monthly factory gate prices fell by 0.6 per cent last month compared to September and were down 5.2per cent on an annual basis, ccording to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

This compares to a yearly decline of 3.5 pc in September 2009.

During October the price index for export sales decreased by 0.8 per cent while the index for home sales decreased by 0.4 per cent.

Over the year, the index for export sales fell by 6 per cent and the price index for home sales by 2.1 per cent.

The most significant monthly decreases were in casic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and other chemical products, man-made fibres and office machinery and computers.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist