Italy Trade Surplus Shrinks in April

The trade surplus in Italy narrowed to EUR 2.885 billion in April of 2019 from EUR 2.985 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year and well bellow market expectations of a EUR 4.55 billion surplus. Exports climbed 5.8 percent from a year earlier but imports advanced at a faster 6.7 percent.
Istat | Agna Gabriel | agna.gabriel@tradingeconomics.com
6/19/2019 8:59:17 AM
Exports rose 5.8 percent year-on-year to EUR 38.421 billion in April, boosted by higher sales of machinery and equipment (4.8 percent); basic metals and metal products (5 percent); textiles, clothing and leather (11.3 percent); food, beverages and tobacco (13.3 percent) and pharmaceutical and chemicals products (39.1 percent); while shipments of transport equipment dropped 4.3 percent. 

Exports advanced mainly to Germany (3 percent); France (3.9 percent); the United States (6.1 percent); Switzerland (24.8 percent); Spain (1.8 percent); the United Kingdom (3.4 percent); China (1.4 percent) and Poland (2.9 percent).

Imports jumped 6.7 percent from a year earlier to EUR 35.536 billion, mainly due to bigger purchases of transport equipment (3.6 percent); basic metals and metal products (5.4 percent); chemicals (6.7 percent); machinery and equipment (2.8 percent); food, beverages and tobacco (4.8 percent) and textiles, clothing and footwear (5.8 percent).

Imports went up mainly from Germany (7 percent); France (5.3 percent); China (17.6 percent); the Netherlands (6.9 percent); Spain (10.5 percent); Belgium (7.1 percent) and Russia (18.7 percent). By contrast, imports fell from OPEC countries (-7.8 percent); the United States (-4 percent) and the United Kingdom (-10 percent). 

With European Union countries, the country's trade surplus shrank to EUR 1.005 billion from EUR 1.124 billion in April of 2018.

Italy Trade Surplus Shrinks in April



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