The volume of Hong Kong’s total goods exports dropped 8.7% year-on-year in February, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The volume of goods imports fell 5.5% compared to the same period last year.

Goods exports prices rose 2.2%, while those of goods imports increased 2.3%.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume of goods exports fell 8.2% in the three-month period ending February compared with the preceding three months, while the volume of goods imports dropped 8.8%.

As the trade flows in January and February of each year tend to be volatile due to differences in timing of the Chinese New Year holidays, it is useful to analyse the trade figures for these two months taken together.

Comparing the first two months of 2019 with the same period in 2018, the volume of goods exports fell 4.8%, while that of goods imports dropped 6.7%.

Goods exports prices increased 2.1%, while those of goods imports also rose 2.1% year-on-year.