Prices of goods imported into the U.S. dropped in November for the first time in four months on cheaper crude oil and business equipment.

The 0.9 percent decline in the import-price index was more than forecast and followed a revised 0.3 percent increase in October that was smaller than initially estimated, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of 44 economists in a Bloomberg survey called for a 0.5 percent decrease. Prices excluding fuels fell 0.2 percent. Read more »