XN000022-1979-01-16 — Page 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1979

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INCREASES WERE MAINLY RECORDED IN IMPORTS OF CONSUMER GOODS AND RAW MATERIALS SUCH AS TEXTILE FABRICS ($4,881 MILLION, +37 PER CENT) AND YARN ($2,182 MILLION, +19 PER CENT), PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($3,803 MILLION, 74 PER CENT) WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($2,780 MILLION, +42 PER CENT), AND IRON AND STEEL ($1,818 MILLION, 46 PER CENT).

IN ADDITION, INCREASES WERE FOUND IN VEGETABLES AND FRUIT $1,808 MILLION, +23 PER CENT) AND ROAD VEHICLES ($1,295 MILLION, → 50 PER CENT).

HOWEVER, SLIGHT DECREASES WERE REGISTERED IN IMPORTS OF COCOA, TEA, COFFEE AND SPICES ($228 MILLION, - 19 PER CENT) AND TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN ROAD VEHICLES ($290 MILLION,

38 PER CENT).

RE-EXPORTS CONTINUED TO MOVE UPWARDS DUE MAINLY TO INCREASES IN DEMAND FROM JAPAN ($2,119 MILLION, + 74 PER CENT), SINGAPORE ($1,258 MILLION, + 32 PER CENT), INDONESIA ($1,194 MILLION, + 26 PER CENT), U.S.A. ($1,119 MILLION, + 42 PER CENT) AND TAIWAN ($1,100 MILLION, +41 PER CENT) FOR PRODUCTS LIKE PEARLS, PRECIOUS AND SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES ($1,604 MILLION, PER CENT), WATCHES AND CLOCKS ($805 MILLION, 19 PER CENT), FABRICS ($726 MILLION, + 65 PER CENT) AND ELECTRICAL MACHINERY ($591 MILLION, 29 PER CENT).

THE TRADE INDEX NUMBERS FOR OCTOBER, 1978 (1973-100) WERE RELEASED AS FOLLOWS:

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VALUE INDEX

UNIT VALUE

INDEX

QUANTUM INDEX

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

235

142

165

IMPORTS

232

145

160

THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX FOR OCTOBER WAS 98.

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