BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Most of the important capital goods monitored by the government posted lower prices in the first 10 days of April compared with the previous 10 days.
Of the 50 major means of production monitored by the government, including seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer and some chemicals, 28 goods saw their prices fall, with 17 posting higher prices and five seeing their prices unchanged, according to data given by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Prices of caustic soda and liquefied natural gas led the declines, while liquefied petroleum gas saw a hike of 4.8 percent.
Coal products and forestry products saw their prices drop or remain flat in general, according to NBS.
The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 1,700 wholesalers and distributors in 24 provincial-level regions.
The data came after the NBS statistics showed the country's producer price index, which measures costs of goods at the factory gate, rose 0.4 percent year on year in March, with the pace picking up from the 0.1-percent flat growth recorded in February.