The volume of goods re-exports rose 16.1% in January while that of domestic exports fell 1.1%.

Comparing the quarter ending January to the same period last year, the volume of goods re-exports rose 9.1% while that of domestic exports grew 0.4%. Taken together the volume of total goods exports grew 8.7% while the volume of goods imports rose 12%.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume of total goods exports in the three months ending January rose 3.5%. Within this total, the volume of re-exports grew 3.7% while that of domestic exports rose 0.5%. The volume of goods imports grew 4.5%.

In January, the prices of goods re-exports rose 2.6% over a year earlier while those of domestic exports grew 2.8%. Taken together, the prices of total goods exports rose 2.6%. The prices of goods imports grew 3.5%.

Price growth

The trade index fell 0.9% in January over the same period last year.

The month saw the total export volume to the Mainland climb 23.1% on a year earlier. The total export volume to Germany, Japan and the UK grew 12.7%, 6.8% and 0.6%, while that to the US dropped 5.3%.

Total export prices to all main destinations rose - including the US (+5.1%), Germany (+3%), the UK (+2.7%), Japan (+1.7%) and the Mainland (+1.6%).

The import volume from Taiwan climbed 27.3%. Double-digit growth was also recorded for the import volume from the Mainland (+19.3%), Singapore (+18%) and Japan (+10.4%) while that from the US rose 6.3%.

Import prices from Singapore, the Mainland, Japan and Taiwan rose 14.1%, 3%, 1.8% and 0.6%, while those from the US fell 0.6%.