WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1991
1
PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY RELEASED
*
THE VARIOUS TRADE AGGREGATES SHOWED MORE MODERATE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATES IN FEBRUARY THAN IN JANUARY, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
NEW
YEAR
THIS WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR HOLIDAYS, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN MID-FEBRUARY THIS YEAR BUT IN END- JANUARY LAST YEAR.
TAKING THE FIRST TWO MONTHS TOGETHER, THE YEAR-ON-YEAR RATES OF THE VARIOUS TRADE AGGREGATES WERE STILL QUITE STRONG.
GROWTH
THE VALUR OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY $1.035 MILLION OR 7.8% OVER FEBRUARY 1990 TO $14,346 MILLION IN FEBRUARY 1991. THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY $7,015 MILLION OR 28.7% TO $31,461 MILLION.
OF
TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE TOTAL EXPORTS IN FEBRUARY 1991. AT $45,807 MILLION, WAS $8,050 MILLION OR 21.3% HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.
THE VALUE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY $4,536 MILLION OR 11.2% OVER LAST YEAR, TO $45,009MILLION IN FEBRUARY 1991.
TOTAL
AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS LARGER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS OF $798 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 1.8% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN FEBRUARY 1991.
THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $2,716 MILLION, EQUIVALENT 6.7% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN FEBRUARY 1990.
TO
TAKING THE MONTHS OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY TOGETHER, THE VALUES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY $3,574 MILLION AND $18,076 MILLION, OR 11.9% AND 34.5% OVER A YEAR EARLIER, ΤΟ $33,522 MILLION AND $70,482 MILLION RESPECTIVELY. THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $104,004 MILLION, WAS $21,650 MILLION OR 26.3% HIGHER THAN A YEAR EARLIER.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY $24,105 MILLION OR 29.6% TO $105,669 MILLION.
IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1991, A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $1,665 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 1.6% OF THE VALUR OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED. THIS COMPARES WITH A SURPLUS OF $790 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 1.0% OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
COMMENTING ON THE LATEST TRADE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE YEAR-ON-YEAR GROWTH RATE OF RE-EXPORTS 1N THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR REMAINED SUBSTANTIAL, WHILE PERFORMANCE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS CONTINUED TO IMPROVE.
THE
/THE YEAR-ON-YEAR