Canada's Wholesale Services Price Index fell 0.8% in Q4, the first quarterly decline since Q1 2011, led by 13.9% margin decline from wholesalers of petroleum products

Cindy Allen

OTTAWA , May 11, 2012 (press release) – The Wholesale Services Price Index (WSPI) declined 0.8% in the fourth quarter, marking the first quarter-over-quarter decline of the WSPI since the first quarter of 2011.

Wholesalers of petroleum products (-13.9%) posted the largest margin decline in the fourth quarter. Margins also declined for wholesalers of motor vehicles and parts (-1.9%), food, beverage and tobacco products (-0.7%) and machinery, equipment and supplies (-0.5%).

Wholesalers of farm products (+2.0%) posted the largest quarterly margin increase, followed by building materials and supplies (+1.7%), miscellaneous products (+0.7%) and personal and household goods (+0.3%).

Compared with the same quarter in 2010, the WSPI advanced 0.1% in the fourth quarter. Farm products (+14.0%) continued to report the largest year-over-year margin increase, coinciding with a 12.0% rise in the Farm Product Price Index between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011.

Year over year, margin increases were also recorded by wholesalers of miscellaneous products (+7.0%) and personal and household goods (+0.9%).

In the fourth quarter, wholesalers of petroleum products (-7.7%) posted their fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year margin declines.

Year-over-year margin decreases were also recorded by wholesalers of motor vehicles and parts (-1.5%), machinery, equipment and supplies (-1.4%), building material and supplies (-1.3%) and food, beverage and tobacco products (-1.1%).

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