Export and import price indices - April

In April 2009, month-on-month export and import prices decreased by 1.9% and 1.6%, respectively. Year-on-year, export prices increased by 2.0% and import prices decreased by 1.3%. The terms of trade figures reached 99.7%, m-o-m, and 103.3%, y-o-y.
Month-on-month comparison:

- Exports : export prices decreased by 1.9% in April (-4.3% in March), especially due to notable strengthening of the Czech crown to Euro and US Dollar. The drop of the total m-o-m export price index came mainly from a 3.0% price drop in ‘manufactured goods, classified chiefly by materials’. Price drops were recorded also for all observed sections. The biggest price decreases were observed in ‘mineral fuels’ (-7.6%), ‘chemicals’ (-3.0%), ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (-1.6%), and ‘machinery and ‘transport equipment’ (-1.0%).

- Imports: Import prices dropped by 1.6% (-4.3% in March). Decrease of the total m-o-m import price index was driven mainly by a 1.5% drop in prices of 'machinery and transport equipment’. Significant price drops were recorded in ‘manufactured goods, classified chiefly by material’ (-1.9%), ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (-1.8%), prices of ‘food and live animals’ and ‘mineral fuels’ both dropped by 1.5%. Prices were falling also in all other observed sections.

- The terms of trade figures decreased for the first time after six months to show negative value 99.7% in April (100.0% in March). Significant negative terms of trade figures were recorded for ‘mineral fuels’ (93.8%, ‘chemicals' (98.1%) and ‘manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ (98.9%). By contrast, positive values were recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (100.6%), ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (100.5%) and ‘food and live animals’ (100.4%).

Year-on-year comparison:

- Exports: export prices increased by 2.0% in April (+4.0% in March), their growth rate decreased for the second month in a row. Among important sections higher were prices in ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ and in ‘machinery and transport equipment’, both by 5.8%, the prices of ‘manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials’ increased by 3.6%. By contrast, more marked price drops were recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (-27.3%), ‘mineral fuels’ (-12.9%) and ‘food and live animals’ (-11.0%).

- Imports : import prices dropped after three months, by 1.3% (+0.4% in March). The decrease of the total y-o-y import price index was mainly affected by a 24.8% price decrease in 'mineral fuels’. Among sections important in terms of weight, the biggest price drops were recorded in ’manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials’ (-3.2%) and ‘chemicals’ (-2.4%). By contrast, more significant price increases were observed in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (+13.5%), ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (+7.1%) and in ‘machinery and transport equipment (+4.6%).

- The terms of trade figures reached 103.3% in April (103.6% in March). Higher values of the terms of trade figures were recorded for ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials' (115.8%) and ‘manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ (107.0%). The terms of trade figures of ‘machinery and transport equipment’ stood at 101.1%. By contrast, negative values were recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (64.1%), ‘food and live animals’ (87.1%) and ‘chemicals’ (94.4%).

---

Note:
Contact: Vladimír Klimeš, phone (+420) 274 054 102, e-mail: vladimir.klimes@csu.gov.cz
Data source: CZSO survey
End of data collection: Last calendar day of the month
End of data processing: Import and export price indices: 15th calendar day after next month
Related publications: 7201-09 Import and Export Price Indices in the Czech Republic
Detailed (Internet: /produkty/export-and-import-price-indices-in-the-czech-republic-2009-2sc5fdjbfg )
The data released are final.