XN000022-1989-05-08 — Page 2

MONDAY, MAY 8, 1989

FEBRUARY PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE RELEASED

* *

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 1 PER CENT AND 34 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1989 AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1988, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 18 PER CENT IN THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS. IMPORTS INCREASED BY 27 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS.

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 ROSE BY 3 PER CENT AND 6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WHILE THOSE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 4 PER CENT. AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO IMPORT PRICE INDEX) REMAINED UNCHANGED.

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.

CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN INTERPRETING THE CHANGES IN THE VOLUME OF TRADE IN ANY INDIVIDUAL MONTH IN ISOLATION, IN VIEW OF THE FLUCTUATIONS THAT MAY OCCUR FROM MONTH TO MONTH. IN PARTICULAR, THE TRADE FIGURES FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THE YEAR ARE LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.

1988. THE

RE-EXPORTS

COMPARING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 1989 WITH FEBRUARY VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS REMAINED UNCHANGED, AND THAT OF INCREASED BY 33 PER CENT. HENCE, TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE- EXPORTS TOGETHER, TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY 17 PER CENT IN VOLUME IMPORT VOLUME ALSO INCREASED BY 29 PER CENT.

TERMS.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 3 PER CENT AND 6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. PRICES OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 5 PER CENT.

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE, UNIT VALUE AND VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY COMMODITY GROUP FOR FEBRUARY 1989 AS COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1988 ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

AS CAN BE SEEN FROM TABLE 1. THE DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME OF MANY COMMODITY GROUPS DECREASED IN FEBRUARY 1989 COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1988. INCLUDING RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (-51 PER CENT); DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES (-36 PER CENT): TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (-24 PER CENT); TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND RELATED ARTICLES (-23 PER CENT); FOOTWEAR (-22 PER CENT); TEXTILE FABRICS (-11 PER CENT); METAL MANUFACTURES (-5 PER CENT); AND CLOTHING (-4 PER CENT).

/HOWEVER,