Japan wholesale prices fall 2.2 pct in March vs yr ago

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TOKYO, April 13 (Reuters) - Japanese wholesale prices fell 2.2 percent in March from a year earlier, below a median market forecast for a 1.8 percent decrease, Bank of Japan data showed on Monday. [JPCGPY=ECI]

The March data followed a revised 1.6 percent fall in the year to the previous month.

Wholesale inflation quickly lost steam after hitting a 27-year peak in August, as the worsening global financial crisis sent the price of commodities tumbling.

Overall final goods prices, which track prices of final products charged to businesses, fell 2.6 percent from a year earlier in March. Domestic final goods prices fell 1.7 percent.

Details were as follows (preliminary, with percentage changes; economists' median forecast in parentheses; previous figures may be revised):

MARCH FEB JAN MARCH INDEX

Year/year -2.2 (-1.8) -1.6 -0.7 104.3

Month/month -0.2 (-0.2) -0.5 -1.2 --

- To view the full tables, go to: here (Reporting by Yuzo Saeki)