XN000022-1990-06-10 — Page 2

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 1990

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PRICE AND VOLUME MOVEMENTS OF EXTERNAL TRADE IN MARCH

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY 5 PER CENT, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS GREW BY 6 PER CENT IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 1990 AS COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1989,

ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THERE WAS AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 2 PER CENT IN THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS. IMPORTS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE 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.

THE

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AS REGARDS PRICE CHANGES OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 2 PER CENT AND PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, WHILE THOSE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 2 PER CENT.. AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX TO IMPORT PRICE INDEX) INCREASED 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 MARCH 1990 WITH MARCH 1989, THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY 2 PER CENT, WHILE THAT OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 12 PER CENT. AS SUCH, THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 6 PER CENT. THE VOLUME OF IMPORTS INCREASED BY 4 PER CENT.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, PRICES OF DOMESTIC AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 2 PER CENT AND 4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. PRICES INCREASED BY 2 PER CENT.

EXPORTS IMPORT

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE, UNIT VALUE AND VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY PRINCIPAL COMMODITY GROUP FOR MARCH 1990 AS COMPARED WITH MARCH 1989 ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF MOST COMMODITY GROUPS DECREASED IN MARCH 1990 AS COMPARED WITH MARCH 1989, INCLUDING DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES (-34 PER CENT); METAL ORES AND SCRAP (-22 PER CENT); RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (-20 PER CENT); FOOTWEAR (-16 PER CENT); TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (-16 PER CENT); METAL MANUFACTURES (-14 PER CENT); TEXTILE YARN AND THREAD (-7 PER CENT); AND WATCHES AND CLOCKS (-3 PER CENT).

ON THE OTHER HAND, INCREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUME WERE RECORDED IN ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (+14 PER CENT); TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND RELATED ARTICLES (+10 PER CENT); CLOTHING (+6 PER CENT); AND TEXTILE FABRICS (+3 PER CENT).

/THE PRICES