Published on: 3 September 2019

Surplus on external trade in goods amounts to EUR 488 million in June

In June 2019, the export volume was 6.7% and the import volume 1.0% lower compared to the same period of the previous year. The surplus was EUR 488 million, EUR 500 million less than in June 2018. According to calendar-adjusted data, the export volume was down by 1.4%, while the import volume rose by 3.1%. In January–June 2019, the surplus on the balance of external trade in goods amounted to EUR 3.1 billion, EUR 1.0 billion less than a year earlier.

In June 2019:

The value of exports amounted to EUR 8.9 billion (HUF 2,868 billion) and that of imports to EUR 8.4 billion (HUF 2,713 billion).

In June 2019 compared to a year earlier:

The value of exports was down by 7.3% and that of imports by 2.3% in EUR terms.

The surplus on external trade in goods lessened by EUR 500 million. (The balance is EUR 68 million less than the value published in the first estimate.)

The forint (HUF) price level of external trade in goods decreased by 0.6% in imports and by 0.1% in exports compared to the same month of the previous year. The terms of trade improved by 0.5%. The forint exchange rate was unchanged against the euro and weakened by 3.4% against the dollar.

Calculated at prices in June 2018, the exports of machinery and transport equipment went down by 6.5% and their imports by 4.3%. The exports of road vehicles fell slightly and their imports by nearly one-tenth compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The reduction on the export side was due to changes in trade in the parts and accessories of motor vehicles and on the import side to changes in trade in passenger cars and goods motor vehicles. The exports of telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment increased slightly and their imports by more than one-tenth. The import growth was due to changes in trade in telephone sets and their parts as well as radio navigational aid apparatus and their parts. Changes mainly in trade in video recording and reproducing apparatus, furthermore, radio navigational aid reception apparatus, television sets, and transmission apparatus combined with radio navigational aid reception apparatus were dominant in the rise in the exports. The exports and imports of electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, n.e.s., both slightly lessened. The decrease on the export side was due to trade in insulated electric wires and conductors and on the import side to trade in electrical apparatus for switching or protecting electrical circuits.

The export volume of manufactured goods was down by 9.3% and their imports by 2.5%.

The export volume of fuels and electric energy increased by 21% and their import volume by 30%, which was consistent in both exports and imports with changes mainly in trade in natural and manufactured gas. The growth was also due to electricity in the exports and to petroleum, petroleum products and related materials in the imports.

The volume of exports of food, beverages and tobacco lessened by 7.3% and the volume of their imports by 4.1%. The reduction resulted from changes in the exports of vegetables and fruits as well as beverages and in the imports of miscellaneous edible products and dairy products and birds’ eggs.

The volume of exports to EU member states went down by 7.7% and that of imports from there by 7.3%. The surplus on external trade in goods decreased by EUR 96 million and amounted to EUR 1.1 billion. These countries accounted for 81% of exports and 72% of imports.

In extra-EU trade, the volume of exports diminished by 2.0%, while that of imports grew by 20%. The balance of external trade in goods with this group of countries deteriorated by EUR 404 million and showed a deficit of EUR 628 million.

In January–June 2019:

The value of exports amounted to EUR 55.0 billion (HUF 17.6 thousand billion) and that of imports to EUR 51.9 billion (HUF 16.6 thousand billion).

In January–June 2019 compared to a year earlier:

The volume of exports rose by 3.1% and that of imports by 5.1%.

The surplus on the balance of external trade in goods was down by EUR 1.0 billion and amounted to EUR 3.1 billion.

The forint price level of external trade in goods increased by 2.1% in exports and by 2.5% in imports compared to the first half of the previous year. The terms of trade worsened by 0.4%. The forint depreciated by 2.1% against the euro and by 9.3% against the dollar.

External trade in goods, January–June 2019

Denomination Exports Imports Balance
value, at current prices same period of previous year=100.0% value, at current prices same period of previous year=100.0% value, at current prices in same period of previous year
Billion HUF17 623105.316 631107.79931 294
Million EUR55 018103.251 933105.53 0854 108

***

Revision of 2018 data

According to final data, the value of exports amounted to EUR 104.9 billion (HUF 33.4 thousand billion) and that of imports to EUR 99.3 billion (HUF 31.7 thousand billion) in 2018. The surplus on the balance of external trade in goods was EUR 5.5 billion (HUF 1,752 billion). The level of exports was EUR 30.2 million (HUF 9.7 billion) less and that of imports EUR 7.3 million (HUF 2.4 billion) higher, and the surplus was EUR 37.5 million (HUF 12 billion) less compared to the second estimate published on 4 March 2019.