Source: The Canadian Press

The Industrial Product Price Index rose 0.7% in December, while the Raw Materials Price Index rose 4.2%.

Statistics Canada reports both indexes were sustained by higher prices for petroleum and metals.

The industrial index was up for the fifth straight month, led mainly by petroleum and coal products (up 4%), primary metal products (1.7) and chemical products (0.9).

The advance was moderated by a 0.4% decline in prices for vehicles and other transportation equipment, largely due to the rising value of the Canadian dollar relative to its U.S. counterpart.

The industrial index was up 2.9% over a year earlier.

The raw materials index rose mainly because of higher prices for mineral fuels (up 5.6%), non-ferrous metals (3.9) and vegetable products (6.3%).

Crude oil prices were up 6% in December, while copper and nickel concentrates rose 4.9 and radioactive products were up 12.7.

Compared with the same month a year earlier, the raw materials index was up 13.2%.