XN000022-1989-08-07 — Page 8

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MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 1989

PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE IN MAY

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 4 PER CENT AND 30 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1989 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 22 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) ROSE BY 1 PER CENT,

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 1989 WITH MAY 1988, THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY 1 PER CENT, AND THAT OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 22 PER CENT. HENCE, TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE- EXPORTS TOGETHER, TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY 12 PER CENT IN VOLUME TERMS. IMPORT VOLUME ALSO INCREASED BY 19 PER CENT,

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 3 PER CENT AND 7 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. PRICES OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 4 PER CENT.

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

AS CAN BE SEEN FROM TABLE 1, THE DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME OF SOME COMMODITY GROUPS DECREASED IN MAY 1989 COMPARED WITH MAY 1988, INCLUDING RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (-48 PER CENT); DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES (-42 PER CENT); FOOTWEAR (-22 PER CENT): TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (-15 PER CENT); METAL MANUFACTURES (-12 PER CENT); AND TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND RELATED ARTICLES (-7 PER CENT).

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NEVERTHELESS, INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME WERE RECORDED IN ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (+34 PER CENT); TEXTILE YARN AND THREAD PER CENT); TEXTILE FABRICS (+10 PER CENT); METAL ORES AND SCRAP (+9 PER CENT): WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+3 PER CENT); AND CLOTHING (+1 PER CENT).

/PRICES OF

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