An Phríomh-Oifig Staidrimh Central Statistics Office 17 April v Seasonally adjusted billion 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Goods and ruary million Surplus September 7,998 3,864 4,135 October November 7,680 8,329 3,935 3,708 3,745 4,622 ember January ruary 7,594 8,324 7,271 4,056 4,505 3,649 3,539 3,819 3,622 Seasonally adjusted decline in trade surplus in ruary 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Published by the Central Statistics Office, Ireland. Ardee Road Dublin 6 Ireland Skehard Road Cork Ireland LoCall: 1890 313 414 (ROI) 0808 2347 581 (UK/NI) Tel: +353 1 498 4000 Tel: +353 21 453 5000 Fax: +353 1 498 4240 Fax: +353 21 453 5555 Both offices may be contacted through any of these telephone numbers. CSO on the Web: www.cso.ie and go to Economy: External Trade Director General: Gerard O Hanlon Enquiries: Trade statistics Trade Help Desk (01) 498 4200 trade@cso.ie General queries Information Section, ext 5021 information@cso.ie 0 Preliminary figures for ruary indicate a seasonally adjusted decline in both and. Seasonally adjusted fell by 1,053 million between January and ruary while fell by 856 million during the same period resulting in the trade surplus declining by 197 million. Chemicals and related products accounted for 4,436 million (or 60%) of the total exports of 7,387 million in ruary. of Medical and pharmaceutical products fell by 326 million (14%) between ruary and ruary while the value of exports of Organic chemicals fell by 182 million over the same period. The EU other than UK accounted for over 50 per cent of exports of Chemicals and related products in ruary with the USA accounting for a further 21 per cent. On an overall basis the EU accounted for 4,608 million (or 62%) of total exports in ruary with Belgium and the UK accounting for over half of the EU share. USA was the main destination for exports outside the EU accounting for 19 per cent of total exports in ruary. fell by 426 million (or 10%) between ruary and ruary. The decline of 440 million in the imports of Machinery and transport equipment made up the bulk of this. However, there was a slight increase in the imports of Mineral fuel products up 39 million (or 7%) between ruary and ruary. The UK was the main source for imports in ruary accounting for 1,350 million (or 35%) of total imports. For the first two months of exports amounted to 15,084 million and imports 8,336 million representing a trade surplus of 6,748 million. For more information contact Norita Murphy at (01) 498 4295 or Damian Malone at (01) 498 4206. Central Statistics Office The contents of this release may be quoted provided the source is given clearly and accurately. Reproduction for own or internal use is permitted. ISSN 2009-4655
Table 1 Goods and summary analysis Value Volume index 1 Unit value index 1 Period Trade Surplus Base year 1990=100 Terms of Trade 2 1990 18,204 15,832 2,372 100 100 100 100 100 1991 19,070 16,317 2,753 106 101 99 102 97 1992 21,260 16,754 4,506 121 106 97 100 96 1993 25,178 18,900 6,279 133 113 104 105 99 1994 28,891 21,945 6,946 153 128 104 108 96 1995 35,330 26,181 9,149 184 146 106 113 94 1996 38,609 28,480 10,130 202 161 105 111 94 1997 44,868 32,864 12,004 232 185 106 112 95 1998 57,322 39,715 17,607 289 218 109 115 95 1999 66,956 44,327 22,629 336 236 110 118 93 2000 83,889 55,909 27,980 401 275 115 128 90 2001 92,690 57,384 35,306 422 274 121 132 92 2002 93,675 55,628 38,047 435 277 118 127 94 2003 82,076 47,865 34,212 418 260 108 116 93 2004 84,410 51,105 33,304 446 284 104 114 92 2005 86,732 57,465 29,267 457 316 104 114 91 2006 86,772 60,857 25,915 458 325 104 118 89 2007 89,226 63,486 25,740 482 341 102 117 87 2008 86,394 57,585 28,810 484 300 98 120 82 2009 84,239 45,061 39,178 468 249 99 114 87 2010 89,193 45,764 43,429 486 241 101 119 85 92,888 48,262 44,627.......... 2010 January 7,022 3,360 3,662 465 220 100 116 86 ruary 6,684 3,608 3,076 439 234 100 117 86 March 7,808 4,212 3,596 512 273 101 117 86 April 7,375 4,132 3,243 484 265 101 118 85 May 7,435 3,573 3,862 472 230 104 117 89 June 7,897 4,120 3,776 490 256 106 120 88 July 7,826 3,597 4,228 501 225 103 120 86 August 6,697 3,476 3,221 435 220 102 120 84 September 7,894 3,910 3,984 516 242 101 121 84 October 7,538 3,648 3,890 517 228 97 119 81 November 7,796 3,955 3,841 538 245 97 120 81 ember 7,222 4,171 3,051 468 247 102 126 81 3 January 7,008 4,302 2,706 458 246 101 129 79 ruary 7,679 4,297 3,382 508 246 100 128 78 March 8,586 4,286 4,300 568 243 100 130 77 April 7,949 4,669 3,279 522 274 99 129 77 May 7,518 3,745 3,773 501 224 98 127 77 June 8,377 3,883 4,495 557 227 100 128 78 July 7,103 3,530 3,574 471 206 100 129 77 August 7,041 3,706 3,335 468 218 98 129 76 September 8,192 3,860 4,332 538 222 101 130 77 October 7,552 3,883 3,668 493 224 101 131 77 November 8,845 4,052 4,792 559 233 104 132 79 ember 7,040 4,049 2,991 434 232 106 132 80 3 January 7,698 4,465 3,233.......... ruary 4 7,386 3,871 3,515.......... 1 Monthly data have been rescaled to make their average equal to the annual 2 Export unit value index divided by Import unit value index 3 Revised, see Background notes 4 ruary is based on current Intrastat response levels, see Background notes.. Indices are not yet available 2
Table 2 Goods and seasonally adjusted 1 series Value Volume index Period Trade Surplus Base year 1990=100 2009 January 7,219 3,902 3,317 469 250 ruary 7,684 4,168 3,516 501 265 March 7,507 4,127 3,380 470 264 April 7,689 3,930 3,758 502 259 May 6,977 4,085 2,891 460 270 June 7,511 3,716 3,796 495 249 July 7,060 3,723 3,337 470 246 August 6,709 3,586 3,123 440 244 September 7,449 3,633 3,816 497 236 October 6,345 3,411 2,934 441 231 November 6,505 3,698 2,807 445 248 ember 6,137 3,536 2,601 413 233 2010 January 7,275 3,455 3,820 488 225 ruary 7,212 3,607 3,605 468 234 March 7,010 3,906 3,104 462 249 April 7,215 4,221 2,994 465 269 May 7,649 3,669 3,979 477 237 June 7,461 4,129 3,332 461 255 July 7,791 3,786 4,005 494 235 August 7,596 3,849 3,747 494 244 September 7,696 3,980 3,716 506 248 October 7,355 3,597 3,757 510 226 November 7,365 3,532 3,833 520 223 ember 7,626 4,064 3,562 494 242 January 7,352 4,495 2,857 481 257 ruary 8,150 4,322 3,828 530 246 March 7,693 3,820 3,873 516 217 April 7,682 4,919 2,762 491 282 May 7,641 3,724 3,917 499 222 June 7,932 3,833 4,099 532 223 July 7,053 3,816 3,236 466 223 August 7,796 4,006 3,790 520 235 September 7,998 3,864 4,135 526 226 October 7,680 3,935 3,745 497 228 November 8,329 3,708 4,622 537 214 ember 7,594 4,056 3,539 484 234 January 8,324 4,505 3,818.... ruary 7,271 3,649 3,622.... 1 Based on seasonal patterns up to ember. Accordingly all values in this table may have been revised.. Indices are not yet available 3
Table 3 Goods and classified by commodity 1 = C million SITC (Rev 4) 0 Food and live animals 590 610 1,135 1,187 394 406 867 838 00 Live animals other than animals of Division 03 15 11 44 21 12 3 64 23 01 Meat and meat preparations 198 233 377 464 56 58 112 112 02 Dairy products and birds eggs 107 107 209 217 37 45 76 86 03 Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof 41 53 76 88 14 18 27 31 04 Cereals and cereal preparations 19 21 39 43 61 61 124 121 05 Vegetables and fruit 17 17 36 35 75 76 149 151 06 Sugars, sugar preparations and honey 7 9 13 16 22 25 39 46 07 Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof 25 21 47 36 28 32 56 62 08 Feeding stuff for animals (excl unmilled cereals) 22 18 38 34 53 53 145 137 09 Miscellaneous edible products and preparations 139 120 257 234 37 34 76 69 1 Beverages and tobacco 88 85 170 170 52 50 101 99 11 Beverages 80 80 155 158 43 43 86 87 12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures 7 6 15 12 9 7 16 12 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 127 144 267 274 64 55 118 112 21 Hides, skins and furskins, raw 8 9 16 18 0 0 0 0 22 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits 0 0 0 1 4 1 5 3 23 Crude rubber (incl synthetic and reclaimed) 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 24 Cork and wood 10 10 16 18 10 8 19 17 25 Pulp and waste paper 5 4 10 9 3 5 5 10 26 Textile fibres and their wastes 10 11 20 22 0 1 2 2 27 Crude fertilisers and minerals (excl coal, petroleum and precious stones) 11 10 24 22 15 8 32 18 28 Metalliferous ores and metal scrap 78 90 167 168 18 18 31 38 29 Crude animal and vegetable materials nes 6 10 12 16 13 12 22 22 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 122 144 222 353 569 608 1,163 1,172 32 Coal, coke and briquettes 7 4 11 9 7 20 27 27 33 Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials 114 137 207 341 453 469 882 908 34 Gas, natural and manufactured 2 3 4 3 106 119 246 236 35 Electric current 3 0 8 0 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 3 4 6 9 20 21 38 42 41 Animal oils and fats 3 4 5 8 1 1 2 2 42 Fixed vegetable fats and oils 0 1 1 1 17 17 32 34 43 Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes 0 0 0 0 2 3 5 6 5 Chemicals and related products 4,860 4,436 9,132 9,284 885 797 1,609 1,554 51 Organic chemicals 1,788 1,606 3,624 3,745 198 205 363 399 52 Inorganic chemicals 11 14 28 29 18 15 34 32 53 Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials 21 12 41 22 17 15 30 31 54 Medical and pharmaceutical products 2,356 2,030 4,098 4,021 378 288 639 564 55 Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations 427 488 831 919 75 74 162 152 56 Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27) 0 0 0 0 54 54 103 91 57 Plastics in primary forms 24 26 43 47 64 54 121 118 58 Plastics in non-primary forms 31 27 56 46 33 34 65 71 59 Chemical materials and products nes 201 233 412 453 48 57 91 95 4
Table 3 Goods and classified by commodity 1 - continued million SITC (Rev 4) 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 133 133 262 259 294 293 600 601 61 Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins 2 2 3 6 1 1 3 3 62 Rubber manufactures nes 4 5 9 10 19 23 42 46 63 Cork and wood manufactures (excl furniture) 16 17 32 35 13 13 29 27 64 Paper, paperboard and articles thereof 11 10 21 21 61 63 123 128 65 Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products 15 11 28 22 28 27 57 53 66 Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes 18 20 34 38 33 31 68 64 67 Iron and steel 6 9 13 16 40 42 79 80 68 Non-ferrous metals 7 6 14 13 37 34 73 68 69 Manufactures of metals nes 55 52 109 100 62 60 127 132 7 Machinery and transport equipment 895 800 1,792 1,583 1,364 924 2,777 2,541 71 Power generating machinery and equipment 62 52 104 117 73 51 137 103 72 Machinery specialised for particular industries 53 38 83 70 59 65 116 127 73 Metalworking machinery 2 2 5 3 6 5 13 9 74 General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes 101 144 193 223 68 74 138 172 75 Office machines and automatic data processing machines 329 249 679 521 207 252 462 479 76 Telecommunications and sound equipment 49 65 108 137 74 81 151 173 77 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts 243 210 498 433 155 148 335 313 78 Road vehicles (incl air-cushion vehicles) 15 18 29 33 175 224 388 412 79 Other transport equipment 42 24 94 45 546 26 1,037 753 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 801 913 1,581 1,752 472 479 963 942 81 Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings 9 8 17 16 13 13 27 27 82 Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc 7 8 16 15 24 24 50 48 83 Travel goods, handbags and similar containers 2 2 5 4 7 9 16 18 84 Articles of apparel; clothing accessories 26 28 50 53 136 146 270 269 85 Footwear 4 5 7 9 28 28 54 53 87 Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes 274 293 538 568 78 83 166 173 88 Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks 84 98 165 185 21 14 38 28 89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes 395 472 781 903 166 162 342 325 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 10 28 18 55 95 83 190 176 Unclassified estimates 2 49 88 100 159 86 156 171 260 Total 7,679 7,387 14,687 15,084 4,297 3,871 8,599 8,336 1 ruary is based on current Intrastat response levels, see Background notes 2 Estimates for which a commodity classification is not available 5
Table 4 Goods and classified by country 1 = C million Country Great Britain 934 1,182 2,024 2,455 1,247 1,266 2,567 2,542 Northern Ireland 107 114 211 222 85 85 163 172 Austria 24 24 48 51 20 12 38 43 Belgium 1,386 1,312 2,302 2,566 131 71 212 131 Bulgaria 3 4 6 8 1 1 2 1 Cyprus 3 2 4 5 0 0 0 0 Czech Republic 55 30 102 64 17 38 46 62 Denmark 34 44 69 85 50 39 101 86 Estonia 2 1 3 2 0 0 1 1 Finland 24 32 40 56 8 8 15 14 France 486 360 976 738 154 165 334 329 Germany 423 524 944 1,045 325 303 641 585 Greece 18 25 44 51 2 2 5 4 Italy 237 269 515 504 69 60 131 116 Latvia 2 1 8 9 3 1 7 4 Lithuania 1 2 6 3 10 11 15 14 Luxembourg 7 4 12 10 3 2 6 6 Hungary 14 15 28 27 9 11 17 18 Malta 2 2 4 5 1 1 1 2 Netherlands 246 269 475 512 201 172 406 329 Poland 43 58 79 94 23 24 48 55 Portugal 38 29 67 55 11 9 22 19 Romania 20 26 49 49 11 9 21 21 Slovakia 4 5 10 10 4 6 10 17 Slovenia 2 2 3 3 1 1 2 1 Spain 210 218 474 453 53 63 109 119 Sweden 66 54 126 105 39 29 67 93 EU Country not specified 1 0 2 1 17 31 36 54 Total EU 4,389 4,608 8,629 9,189 2,496 2,418 5,022 4,839 of which Euro-Zone 2 3,110 3,076 5,923 6,063 1,001 905 1,968 1,771 Australia 54 76 114 120 7 7 15 13 Brazil 17 34 43 48 12 30 30 43 Canada 45 60 94 123 14 10 41 25 China 188 170 398 383 192 240 425 482 India 14 16 29 39 27 38 55 69 Japan 142 165 250 301 66 61 141 130 Malaysia 33 19 82 38 17 15 38 34 Mexico 35 52 71 102 14 20 29 42 Norway 34 24 76 54 109 71 256 131 Philippines 15 5 30 12 2 2 5 5 Russia 39 53 76 94 11 11 24 20 Saudi Arabia 49 48 90 99 0 1 1 1 Singapore 45 43 97 88 31 40 67 83 South Africa 21 20 53 54 10 10 24 22 South Korea 29 28 59 57 20 31 49 57 Switzerland 260 218 401 753 65 57 129 112 Taiwan 15 12 28 23 13 18 29 34 Thailand 13 11 24 22 21 21 42 37 Turkey 61 32 99 57 24 27 55 57 USA 1,932 1,388 3,453 2,830 883 376 1,630 1,419 Other countries 247 299 485 582 124 239 243 424 Country unknown 3 1 4 2 9 63 57 100 100 Unclassified estimates 4 1 4 4 8 75 73 151 159 Total 7,679 7,387 14,687 15,084 4,297 3,871 8,599 8,336 1 ruary is based on current Intrastat response levels, see Background notes 2 Euro-zone members from January : Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia and Estonia 3 Trade for which the country of origin or country of final destination is unknown 4 Estimates not allocated by country 6
Table 5 Goods and classified by commodity and principal countries 1 million Country by Section level of SITC Great Britain 934 1,182 2,024 2,455 1,247 1,266 2,567 2,542 0 Food and live animals 215 230 437 455 174 170 382 345 1 Beverages and tobacco 24 21 42 39 13 12 23 22 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 37 31 71 58 12 10 25 21 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 51 103 82 285 366 370 784 773 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 1 2 1 5 3 4 7 8 5 Chemicals and related products 341 537 855 1,095 167 152 316 302 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 49 47 94 96 123 118 239 238 7 Machinery and transport equipment 111 108 221 218 184 193 382 401 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 83 69 175 140 153 135 302 275 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 23 33 46 64 54 103 106 158 Other EU 3,455 3,427 6,605 6,734 1,248 1,152 2,455 2,297 0 Food and live animals 237 228 443 448 153 169 340 335 1 Beverages and tobacco 27 24 51 48 32 31 63 60 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 60 84 131 148 22 17 38 34 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 36 40 88 67 53 25 82 87 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 2 1 5 4 13 13 25 26 5 Chemicals and related products 2,324 2,286 4,312 4,527 401 309 699 633 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 66 61 129 116 108 104 217 212 7 Machinery and transport equipment 345 329 729 641 333 343 725 637 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 324 313 653 633 92 94 184 183 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 33 61 65 102 41 48 83 91 USA 1,932 1,388 3,453 2,830 883 376 1,630 1,419 0 Food and live animals 4 10 15 18 29 17 37 32 1 Beverages and tobacco 22 27 47 54 1 1 2 1 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 2 2 5 4 6 3 10 6 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 20 0 20 0 6 18 7 20 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 Chemicals and related products 1,555 925 2,737 1,980 129 155 217 256 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 9 10 20 20 20 20 46 43 7 Machinery and transport equipment 67 69 140 135 623 100 1,169 932 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 253 342 467 615 65 59 135 119 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 1 2 2 4 4 4 7 7 China 2 188 170 398 383 192 240 425 482 0 Food and live animals 9 20 25 40 2 2 3 5 1 Beverages and tobacco 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 6 8 13 15 2 1 5 2 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Chemicals and related products 53 59 129 144 12 12 24 28 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 2 2 3 3 21 27 48 56 7 Machinery and transport equipment 103 67 195 152 70 96 159 201 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 16 14 32 27 82 97 181 181 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 0 0 0 0 3 5 5 8 Rest of World 1,170 1,221 2,207 2,683 727 837 1,523 1,596 0 Food and live animals 125 123 215 226 38 47 105 121 1 Beverages and tobacco 15 13 29 30 6 7 14 16 2 Crude materials, inedible, except fuels 22 19 46 48 22 24 41 50 3 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials 15 0 33 1 144 195 290 291 4 Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes 0 0 0 0 3 4 6 7 5 Chemicals and related products 588 629 1,099 1,538 176 169 353 333 6 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material 8 13 17 23 23 25 51 52 7 Machinery and transport equipment 269 227 508 437 154 192 342 370 8 Miscellaneous manufactured articles 126 174 254 337 81 94 162 183 9 Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere 2 22 6 44 80 80 160 172 Total 7,679 7,387 14,687 15,084 4,297 3,871 8,599 8,336 1 ruary is based on current Intrastat response levels, see Background notes 2 China includes Hong Kong and Macao 7
Central Statistics Office Background Notes External Trade Introduction Goods and statistics provide data on the movement of goods between countries. The statistics are a combination of Customs-based non-eu trade statistics and data from the Intrastat Survey of Irish traders involved in trade with other EU member states. The collection of trade data is the responsibility of VIMA (a branch of Revenue). The CSO is responsible for processing and disseminating the data. Changes in the Release Users are cautioned that the data for ruary include estimates for non-response and that there may be significant revisions when a more complete file is received in a month s time. More information is now being processed on lower value transactions. Prior to January, transactions below 254 were grouped together, this value has now decreased to 127. Therefore, this may result in more detail being available at commodity level in Table 3 and country level in Tables 4 and 5. Revisions Trade figures are subject to revision on the incorporation of late Intrastat and VAT returns, corrections made by traders to Intrastat returns and CSO consistency adjustments. When the preliminary results for a month are published, the results for months -1 (January in this publication), -4 (October ) and -8 (June ) are revised. As part of an ongoing detailed examination of returns from enterprises to the various statistical inquiries, the value of Goods and, and Indices are revised on a quarterly basis. These adjustments also are incorporated into the published National Accounts and Balance of Payments statistics. Intrastat System Extrastat System The Intrastat system has two components. Firstly, the Intrastat survey (conducted by the Revenue Commissioners), in which traders, above the Intrastat survey trade thresholds, make detailed monthly returns giving information on the quantity and value of all exports to or imports from EU countries. The total number of traders required to make a detailed import return is about 6,700 while about 1,900 must make a detailed export return. The response rate in terms of number of traders in ruary was 73%, covering an estimated 88% of the total value of intra-eu trade. The second component of the Intrastat system is the regular VAT return, on which all traders are required to record the total value of goods imported from and exported to other EU countries. This information provides the basis for determining total EU trade for those traders below the Intrastat survey thresholds. It is also used to maintain the register of EU traders. The statistics of trade with non-eu countries are compiled from the documents supplied by importers and exporters to the Customs authorities. The document is the Single Administrative Document (SAD) used for Customs clearance purposes. Shannon Free Zone Prior to, data for traders operating in the Shannon Free Zone were collected by traders submitting summary monthly returns to the CSO. This CSO Shannon survey data were classified under Section 9 Commodities and Transactions not classified elsewhere (SITC code 931.01). Estimation The figures in this release include estimates for traders above the Intrastat thresholds who did not make detailed returns for the period and for traders below the thresholds who did not provide aggregate intra-eu trade figures on their VAT returns. Estimates for Intrastat non-respondents are apportioned to individual commodities and countries whenever previous Intrastat returns are available. Estimates for traders below the Intrastat thresholds are assigned to partner country where possible, but not to commodity. The estimate of imports incorporates an upward adjustment equivalent to about 1.75% of total imports, which is included in Unclassified estimates. This special adjustment arises from the difficulty of comprehensively covering all EU imports through the Intrastat survey system. The unclassified category also includes certain miscellaneous adjustments. Unit Value Indices Services and The monthly unit value index measures monthly unit value trends relative to the annual levels in the preceding year using value weights relating to that year s trade (Laspeyres index). The annual index is compiled using value weights for both the current and previous year (Fisher index) to allow for change in the structure of trade in goods. The monthly index series should be regarded as interim measures suitable for month-to-month comparisons within a given year. As part of an ongoing detailed examination of returns from enterprises to the various statistical inquiries, the value of goods exports is revised on a quarterly basis, which may result in a revision to the indices. When the annual unit value index is compiled, the monthly unit value indices are rescaled to make their average equal to the annual index. The quarterly Balance of Payments (BOP) statistics provide detail on Services, exports and imports. See BOP releases for more detail. 8