1.   Almost two-thirds of the increase in the volume of imports last year was in capital goods, intermediate goods and semi-finished manufactures.

2.   Among intermediate goods, increases for foods and feeds and for construction materials were balanced by the declines for factory materials and energy.

3.   And prices for intermediate goods like metals, plastics and chemicals jumped nearly half a percent in June.

4.   But continued price pressures at the intermediate goods level are threatening to spill into final goods, they said.

5.   But price increases outside the oil sector in crude goods, like wheat, and intermediate goods, like flour, could signal a turnaround in the global economy.

6.   But the price increases at the intermediate goods level, excluding food and energy, continue to generate some concern to investors.

7.   GDP measures finished output, while much of what UPS carries are intermediate goods.

8.   Intermediate goods prices, excluding food and energy, were unchanged for the fourth consecutive month.

9.   Insee said improving confidence was particularly marked in output of professional equipment and intermediate goods.

10.   One sensitive area is durable items like copper and plywood used in the manufacturing process, an element of the intermediate goods category.