External Trade - November 2012

In November 2012, according to preliminary data of ‘border statistics’, current price exports rose by 4.2%, while imports fell by 2.4%, year-on-year (y−o−y), respectively. The trade balance ended in a surplus of CZK 35.5 bn, which was by CZK 17.1 bn higher, y−o−y.

According to preliminary data of ‘border statistics’, seasonally adjusted exports and imports fell by 0.3% and 1.5% respectively compared to October 2012. The development trend shows decreasing exports and (−0.5%) and imports (−1.2%).

Year−on−year, current prices exports rose by 4.2% (CZK +11.2 bn) and imports fell by 2.4% (CZK −6.0 bn). The results were influenced by a high comparative basis of November 2011 when the largest monthly turnover of 2011 was recorded (CZK +514.6 bn). In November 2012, the external trade turnover reached CZK 519.8 bn.

Exports of entities seated in the Czech Republic went up by 1.3% (CZK +2.8 bn) and entities seated outside the Czech Republic grew by 13,7% (CZK +8.4 bn). Imports of entities seated in the Czech Republic rose by 0.8% (CZK +1.7 bn) while imports of entities seated outside the Czech Republic decreased by 16.4% (CZK −7.7 bn).

External trade converted to EUR showed an increase of exports by 4.6% and a decrease of imports by 2.1%. Expressed in US dollars exports and imports fell by 1.1% and 7.3% respectively.

In November, the trade balance ended in a surplus of CZK 35.5 bn which was the second highest in 2012. The surplus was by CZK 17.1 bn higher in comparison with the same month of 2011. The balance of trade of entities seated in the Czech Republic showed a surplus of CZK 5.0 bn (against a surplus of CZK 4.0 bn in November 2011), the trade balance of entities not seated in the Czech Republic recorded a surplus of CZK 30.4 bn (compared to a surplus of CZK 14.3 bn in November 2011).

Y-o-y, surplus rose in ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (by CZK 13.5 bn), ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (by CZK 5.0 bn) and ‘crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ (by CZK 0.3 bn). The trade gap deepened in ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ (by CZK 0.7 bn), ‘food and live animals’ (by CZK 0.5 bn) and ‘chemicals and related products’ (by CZK 0.2 bn). ‘Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ posted a decrease of surplus (by CZK 0.2 bn).

Total 'machinery and transport equipment' exports went up by 3.5% (CZK +5.2 bn), y−o−y. Exports grew mainly in ‘office machines, automatic data−processing machines’ (CZK +2.0 bn), ‘road vehicles’ (CZK +1.9 bn) and ‘electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances’ (CZK +1.3 bn). Total 'machinery and transport equipment' imports were by 7.6% (CZK −8.3 bn) lower, y−o−y, of which the biggest decreases were observed in imports of ‘telecommunications and sound−recording equipment’ (CZK −7.4 bn) and ‘office machines, automatic data−processing machines’ (CZK −2.2 bn). On the other hand, imports of ‘electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances’ grew (CZK +1.9 bn). Imports of ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ dropped by 1.1% (CZK −0.3 bn) y−o−y. Imports of crude petroleum grew by 4.5% in value; and decreased by 1.8% in volume. Imports of natural gas were by 5.8% higher in value and by 14.3% lower in volume.

The trade balance with EU Member States reached a surplus of CZK 68.9 bn, which was by CZK 6.5 bn higher, y−o−y. Deficit of trade with non-EU countries shrank by CZK 10.6 bn to CZK 33.4 bn. Surplus rose in trade with the Netherlands (by CZK 3.5 bn), Germany (by CZK 2.5 bn) and the United Kingdom (by CZK 1.6 bn). Deficit declined in trade with China (by CZK 7.5 bn) and Azerbaijan (by CZK 1.0 bn). On the other hand, deficit deepened in trade with the Russian Federation (by CZK 1.4 bn) and surplus fell in trade with Slovakia (by CZK 1.1 bn). The trade balance deteriorated in trade with Italy (by CZK 1.3 bn) as a surplus turned into a deficit.

In January – November 2012, exports and imports rose by 7.7% and 3.3% respectively. The trade balance surplus amounting to CZK 307.0 billion was up by CZK 123.1 billion, y-o-y. Surplus rose mainly in ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (by CZK 81.5 bn) and ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (by CZK 26.9 bn). On the contrary, deficit increased in ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ (by CZK 12.2 bn).

The trade balance in national concept (methodology of balance of payments) reflecting performance of the Czech economy showed a surplus of CZK 5.7 bn in November 2012. The data on exports and imports of goods, calculated by using the VAT data according to this concept, are available in Table 8 and in the time series External trade in goods according to change of ownership (national concept).


Notes:
According to the CZSO sources data were obtained from 97.7% of companies (for goods dispatched) and 97.6% of companies (for goods arrived) obliged to report to the Intrastat system. Data for companies, exempted from the reporting duty, in accordance with the amended Decree No. 201/2005 Sb., and for companies that failed to report, have been imputed. The imputation methods are based on data of trade implemented that the companies reported in the previous period and data given in the VAT return forms.
The data for individual months of 2011 are final referring to 28 August 2012 closing date. The data for individual months of 2012 are preliminary. Preliminary data of the reference month are released together with updated data of the previous three months. All data are processed from basic reporting units and subsequently rounded.
After the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union, two systems of data collection are used as a source on external trade statistics in cross-border conception (border statistics). Extrastat records data on trade with the non-EU countries and uses some data from Single Administrative Documents. Intrastat collects data on movement of goods within the European Union for entities that are obliged to provide Intrastat data. According to legal regulations of the European Communities, entities registered for Value Added Tax have a duty to provide data for Intrastat regardless of the fact, whether a n entity is or is not seated in the Czech Republic (resident or non-resident). Detailed information is available in external trade methodology: /whatisexternal_trade
Responsible manager of the CZSO: Ing. Marek Rojíček, Ph.D., Director of Macroeconomic Statistics Branch, phone (+420) 274 052 486 , E-mail: marek.rojicek@csu.gov.cz
Contact: Karel Král, Director of External Trade Statistics Department, phone (+420) 274 052 161, E-mail: karel.kral@csu.gov.cz
Method of data collection: Intrastat forms and Single administrative documents.
End of data collection: 20 ^th working day after the end of the reference month
Documents available on the CZSO website: w-6001-11 External Trade of the Czech Republic –detailed breakdown (periodicity: monthly): /produkty/external-trade-of-the-czech-republic-december-2012-edwombu9aa
External Trade Database: /ep-6-opendocument
Next News Release: February 6, 2013

This press release was not edited for language.