Hong Kong's exports rose 8.5% in July over the same month last year, with the volume of goods re-exports up 10.8% and domestic exports down 24.9%, the Census & Statistics Department says. The volume of goods imports grew 10.2%.

Comparing the year's first seven months with the same period last year, the volume of Hong Kong's goods re-exports surged 11.7% and domestic exports dropped 26.1%. Taken together, the volume of goods exports grew 9.4%. The volume of goods imports increased 10.6%.

In July the price of goods exports rose 1.8%, with goods re-exports and domestic exports up 1.9% and 0.8%. The prices of goods imports grew 1.6%.

For the year's first seven months, the price of goods re-exports and domestic exports grew 2.3% and 0.5%. Taken together, the price of goods exports rose 2.2%. The prices of goods imports grew 2.1%.

Trade index

Regarding the trade index, which is derived from the ratio of price index of total goods exports to that of goods imports, it grew 0.2% in July and 0.1% in this year's first seven months.

The total export volume to Germany and the Mainland surged 21.3% and 14.2% in July. However, the total export volume to the US, Japan and the UK dropped 3.3%, 6% and 7.4%.

The total export prices to the Mainland, the UK, the US and Japan grew 2.5%, 1.9%, 1.5% and 0.5%. The total export price to Germany dipped 0.9%.

In July, double-digit growth was recorded for the import volume from Singapore (up 19.2%), the Mainland (10.8%) and Taiwan (10.7%) over a year earlier. The import volume from Japan grew 4.8%, whereas that from the US fell 1.9%.

Import prices from the Mainland, Taiwan and Japan rose 2.3%, 0.5% and 0.3%. But import prices from Singapore and the US fell 0.6% and 1.2%.