XN000022-1988-07-07 — Page 10

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1988

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PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE IN APRIL 1988

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 10 PER CENT AND 40 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF 1988 COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 24 PER CENT IN THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 22 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

THE VOLUME OF TRADE IS DERIVED FROM TRADE VALUES BY DISCOUNTING 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 3 PER CENT, WHILE THOSE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 5 PER CENT. AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX ΤΟ IMPORT PRICE INDEX) DROPPED BY 1 PER CENT.

TRADED, PRICE

PRICES ARE BASED ON UNIT VALUES WHICH DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OR QUALITY OF GOODS

EXCEPT FOR SOME SELECTED COMMODITIES FOR WHICH SPECIFICATION

INDEXES ARE AVAILABLE.

THE VOLUME

COMPARING THE MONTH OF APRIL 1988 WITH APRIL 1987, OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 7 PER CENT AND 40 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. HENCE, TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY 23 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

IMPORT VOLUME INCREASED BY 26 PER CENT. DURING THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, BOTH THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 3 PER CENT. PRICES OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 1 PER CENT.

CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN IN INTERPRETING THE CHANGES IN THE VOLUME OF BILATERAL TRADE IN ANY SINGLE MONTH, AS THE RESPECTIVE GROWTH RATES FOR INDIVIDUAL MONTHS MAY

SUBJECT ΤΟ CONSIDERABLE FLUCTUATIONS.

BE

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE, UNIT VALUE AND VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY COMMODITY GROUP FOR APRIL 1988 AS COMPARED WITH APRIL. 1987 ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

AS CAN BE SEEN FROM TABLE 1, THE DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME OF MOST COMMODITY GROUPS INCREASED IN APRIL 1988 COMPARED WITHI APRIL 1987, INCLUDING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (+34 PER CENT); WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+21 PER CENT); DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES (+15 PER CENT); METAL MANUFACTURES (+12 PER CENT); METAL ORES AND SCRAP (+11 PER CENT); TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (+4 PER CENT); AND FOOTWEAR (+2 PER CENT).

/NEVERTHELESS, DECREASES

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