XN000022-1991-05-09 — Page 6

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THURSDAY, MAY 9, 1991

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 BOTH ROSE BY 2%, WHILE THOSE OF IMPORTS ROSE BY 4%. AS A RESULT, THE TERMS OF TRADE INDEX (EXPRESSED AS A RATIO OF TOTAL EXPORT PRICE INDEX то IMPORT PRICE INDEX) DECREASED BY 1%.

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.

THE

CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN INTERPRETING THE CHANGES IN VOLUME OF TRADE IN ANY INDIVIDUAL MONTH IN ISOLATION, IN VIEW OF THE FLUCTUATIONS THAT MAY OCCUR FROM MONTH TO MONTH.

BE

IN PARTICULAR, THE TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY ARE LIKELY TO AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS WHICH OCCURRED IN LATE JANUARY LAST YEAR, BUT IN MID-FEBRUARY THIS YEAR.

COMPARING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 1991 WITH FEBRUARY

1990, THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 6% AND 26% RESPECTIVELY. TAKING THEM TOGETHER, THE VOLUME OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY 18%. THE VOLUME OF IMPORTS GREW BY 7%.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY 2% AND 3% RESPECTIVELY. IMPORT PRICES INCREASED BY 4%.

THE CHANGES IN THE VALUE, UNIT VALUE AND VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY

PRINCIPAL COMMODITY GROUP FOR FEBRUARY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990 ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

GROUPS FEBRUARY (+37%);

THE VOLUME OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF SOME COMMODITY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN FEBRUARY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH 1990, INCLUDING METAL ORES AND SCRAP {+52%); CLOTHING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (+28%); TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND RELATED ARTICLES (+20%); AND RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (+10%).

ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASES IN DOMESTIC EXPORT VOLUMB WERE RECORDED IN FOOTWEAR (-34%); TEXTILE YARN AND THREAD (-26%); TEXTILE FABRICS (-15%); WATCHES AND CLOCKS (-8%); AND TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES (-7%).

THE PRICES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF MOST COMMODITY GROUPS INCREASED IN FEBRUARY 1991 AS COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1990.

THESE INCLUDED FOOTWEAR (+7%); RADIOS OF ALL KINDS (+7%); METAL AND MANUFACTURES (+4%); TEXTILE FABRICS (+4%); TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS SIMILAR ARTICLES (+3%); CLOTHING (+3%); TEXTILE YARN AND THREAD (+2%); AND METAL ORES AND SCRAP (+1%).

HOWEVER, A DECREASE IN DOMESTIC EXPORT PRICES WAS RECORDED' IN ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS (-1%), WHILE THOSE OF RELATED ARTICLES; WATCHES AND CLOCKS; AND APPLIANCES WERE VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED.

TEXTILE MADE-UPS AND DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL

/THE CHANGES