Export and import price indices - August

In August 2009, export prices decreased by 0.5% and import prices by 0.6%, month-on-month. Year-on-year, export prices decreased by 2.7% and import prices by 7.2%. The terms of trade figures reached 100.1%, m-o-m, and 104.8%, y-o-y.
Month-on-month comparison:

- Exports : export prices decreased by 0.5% in August (-2.3% in July), especially due to 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 0.8% price drop in ‘machinery and transport equipment’. Among important sections prices of ‘manufactured goods, classified chiefly by materials’ went down by 1.0% and prices of ‘food and live animals’ dropped by 0.8%. The biggest price growth was recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ by 4.8% and in prices of ‘chemicals and related products’ by 1.5%.

- Imports: import prices dropped by 0.6% (-2.4% in July). Decrease of the total m-o-m import price index was driven mainly by a 1.0% drop in prices of 'machinery and transport equipment’. More significant price drops were registered in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ by 9.1% and ‘food and live animals’ by 2.3%. Price growth was recorded only in prices of ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ (3.7%) and ‘chemicals and related products’ (0.2%).

- The terms of trade figures remained in positive values for the second month, when they reached 100.1% in August (100.1% in July). The biggest positive values were recorded for ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (115.3%), ‘food and live animals’ (101.5%) and ‘chemicals and related products’ (101.3%). The terms of trade figures in ‘machinery and transport equipment’ were 100.2%. Negative terms of trade figures, among sections important in terms of weight, were registered in ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials' (97.3%) and ‘manufactured goods classified chiefly by materials’ (99.1%).


Year-on-year comparison:

- Exports: export prices decreased after eight months of growth by 2.7% in August (growth by 0.5% in July). Change of the total y-o-y export price index was mainly affected by a 7.3% price drop in ’manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’. More marked price drops were recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ by 21.4%, ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ by 17.9% and ‘chemicals and related products’ by 10.1%. Price growth was reported only for ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (3.1%) and ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (2.6%).

- Imports : import prices were decreasing already for the fifth month, this time by 7.2% (-4.4% in July). The drop of the total y-o-y import price index came mainly from a 35.4% price decrease in 'mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials'. Among important sections price drops were recorded in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ by 13.7%, ‘chemicals and related products’ by 6.4% and ’manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ by 6.1%. Price increases were observed only in ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (+2.0%), and ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (+1.3%).

- The terms of trade figures reached 104.8% in August (105.1% in July). Among sections important in terms of weight, higher values of the terms of trade figures were recorded for ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials' (127.1%), ‘machinery and transport equipment' (101.3%) and ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (101.1%). By contrast, negative values were registered in ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (91.1%), ‘chemicals and related products’ (96.0%) and ‘food and live animals’ (96.4%).

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Note:
Contact: Vladimír Klimeš, phone (+42 0) 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.