20/10/2011 00:00:00
According to Istat, in September 2011, there was a significant conjuncture growth in exports (+4.9%), while imports decreased by 2.8%. In the last quarter, the economic momentum is positive for exports (+2.9%) and negative for imports (-2.7%). The growth trend is much more sustained for exports (+18.7%) than imports (+3.9%). In the period January-September 2011, the dynamics of imports (+18.7%) remains higher than that of exports (+16.8%). In September 2011 the trade balance with countries outside the EU is equal to -1.5 billion, a sharp decrease compared to September 2010 deficit (-3.1 bn.). The deficit of the energy industry (-4.6 billion euro), however, is wider than a year earlier (-4 billion). The reduction of trade deficit is therefore determined by the significant expansion of the surplus in the interchange of non-energy products, which grew from 1 billion (September 2010) to 3.2 billion (September 2011). The increasing exports trend involves all the main sectors, with growth rates above average for energy (+35.6%), durable consumer goods (+28.8%) and intermediate products (+19.1%). In September, imports showed increase trend for energy (+17.9%) and non-durable consumer goods (+3.9%). Purchases abroad of other main groups of goods recorded a negative dynamic trend. The most dynamic markets for export are: Switzerland (+48.5%), Japan (+29%), EDA countries (+26.8%), ASEAN (+25.4%) and the Mercosur countries (+23.5%). India (+3.4%) and the United States (+1.3%) show positive trend rates but much lower than average. Import growth is well above the average trade flows from Russia (38.3%), United States (+18.7%), India (+14.8%), ASEAN (+9.5%) and Mercosur (7.2%). Purchases of goods from China (-19%), EDA countries (-17.5%) and OPEC (-11.1%) show a marked decline.