XN000022-1981-05-03 — Page 2

SUNDAY, MAY 3, 1961

PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE, FEBRUARY 1981

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ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND IMPORTS ROSE BY 8 PER CENT AND 10 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN FEBRUARY 1981 COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1980. AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF THE DOMESTIC EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO THE IMPORT PRICE INDEX) DECLINED BY 1 PER CENT.

AN INCREASE IN VOLUME WAS REGISTERED FOR IMPORTS (+16 PER CENT), BUT A DECREASE IN VOLUME WAS REGISTERED FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS (-12 PER CENT). THE PRICES OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 9 PER CENT, WITH VOLUME UP BY 47 PER CENT, SO THAT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS, PRICES ROSE BY 9 PER CENT AND VOLUME ROSE BY 6 PER CENT.

PRICES ARE BASED ON UNIT VALUES WHICH DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OR QUALITY OF GOODS TRADED, CHANGES IN THE VOLUME OF TRADE ARE DERIVED FROM CHANGES IN TRADE VALUES, AFTER DISCOUNTING THE EFFECT OF PRICE CHANGES.

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUES, UNIT VALUES AND VOLUMES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY COMMODITY GROUP ARE SHOWN BELOW:

CHANGES COMPARING FEBRUARY 1981 WITH FEBRUARY 1980

:XPORT

VALUES

EXPORT UNIT

VALUES

EXPORT VOLUMES

CLOTHING (EXCEPT

FUR)

TEXTILE FABRICS

-10%

+ 9%

-17%

TEXTILE YARN AND

-

3% -13%

+ 5%

+ 5%

- 8% -17%

THREAD

TEXTILE MADE-UPS

8%

+11%

-18%

AND RELATED

ARTICLES

ALL TRANSISTORIZED -25%

+ 5%

-29%

RADIOS

ELECTRONIC

+53%

+13%

+35%

COMPONENTS

FOOTWEAR

6%

+ 49%

-10%

METAL

22%

+12%

-31%

MANUFACTURES

METAL CRES AND

+41%

+ 2%

+38%

SCRAP

WATCHES AND

+38%

5%

+45%

CLOCKS

ALL COMMODITIES

5%

+ 8%

-12%

APART FROM A DROP OF 5 PER CENT FOR WATCHES AND CLOCKS, THE EXPORT PRICES OF THE MAJOR COMMODITY GROUPS INCREASED AT VARYING RATES, FROM A 2 PER CENT INCREASE FOR METAL ORES AND SCRAP TO A 13 PER CENT INCREASE FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS.

/CENTERPPABLE GROWI