French Trade Gap Widens in November as Exports Fall

The French trade deficit narrowed slightly to EUR 5.1 billion in November 2018 from EUR 4.1 billion in the previous month and compared with market expectations of a EUR 6.0 billion gap. Exports dropped 4.4 percent month-over-month and imports declined 1.8 percent.
Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances | Stefanie Moya | stefanie.moya@tradingeconomics.com
1/8/2019 8:24:31 AM
Exports fell 4.4 percent from a month earlier to EUR 41.2 billion in November mainly due to lower sales of transport equipment (-6.5 percent); mechanical, electrical, electronic & computer equipment (-1.7 percent); other industrial products (-0.8 percent); agricultural, forestry, fishery & aquaculture products (-0.5 percent)  and coke & refined petroleum products (-24.5 percent). 

Among major trading partners, exports declined mostly to the US (-20.5 percent), Germany (-2.5 percent) and Spain (-0.7 percent), but rose to Belgium (1.6 percent) and Italy (1.2 percent) 

Imports decreased 1.8 percent to EUR 46.3 billion in November, mostly due to lower purchases of other industrial products (-0.8 percent); mechanical, electrical, electronic & computer equipment (-0.3 percent); natural hydrocarbons, other mining products, electricity and waste (-11.7 percent) and coke & refined petroleoum products (-3.2 percent).

Among major trading partners, imports decreased mainly from Spain (-4.6 percent), Germany (-2.8 percent) and China (-1.4 percent), while increased from Belgium (0.8 percent) and Italy (0.3 percent).

French Trade Gap Widens in November as Exports Fall



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