FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 1991
PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE IN MAY 1991
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THE
VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 3%, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 26% IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1991 AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1990, ACCORDING TO THE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 17% IN THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 20% IN VOLUME.
THE GROWTH IN THE VOLUME OF TRADE IS DERIVED FROM THE GROWTH IN TRADE VALUES, HAVING DISCOUNTED THE EFFECT OF PRICE CHANGES.
AS REGARDS PRICE CHANGES OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS BOTH ROSE BY 2%, WHILE THOSE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 3%.
AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO IMPORT PRICE INDEX) DECREASED BY 1%.
PRICES ARE BASED ON UNIT VALUES WHICH DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OR QUALITY OF GOODS TRADED, EXCEPT FOR SOME SELECTED COMMODITIES FOR WHICH SPECIFICATION PRICE INDEXES ARE AVAILABLE.
COMPARING THE MONTH OF MAY 1991 WITH MAY 1990, THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS INCREASED BY 1%, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 27%. TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 17%. THE VOLUME OF IMPORTS GREW BY 16%.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 2X AND 1% RESPECTIVELY. IMPORT PRICES INCREASED BY 2%.
THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE, UNIT VALUE AND VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY PRINCIPAL COMMODITY GROUP FOR MAY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH MAY 1990 ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.
THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF SOME COMMODITY GROUPS INCREASED IN MAY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH MAY 1990, INCLUDING METAL ORES AND SCRAP (+17%); TEXTILE YARN AND THREAD (+11%); RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (+7%); TEXTILE FABRICS (+5%); METAL MANUFACTURES (+4%); AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+4%).
ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME WERR RECORDED IN FOOTWEAR (-20%); TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND RELATED ARTICLES (-19%); TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (-5%); DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES (-5%); ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (-1%); AND CLOTHING (-1%).
THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF MOST COMMODITY GROUPS INCREASED IN MAY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH MAY 1990.
/THESE INCLUDED