Looking at the conditions influencing price developments, the outlook for import prices is unclear at present because it largely depends on developments in crude oil prices. On the domestic side, the supply-demand balance in the macroeconomy, ongoing technological innovations in machinery, and the streamlining of distribution channels will continue to exert downward pressure on prices.
In contrast, upward pressure is also at work, such as the effects of high crude oil prices to date and the improvement in the supply-demand balance in materials industries. Of these two opposite pressures, the latter will be slightly stronger at the corporate transaction stage for the immediate future, and therefore, domestic corporate goods prices are projected to inch up.