Surplus on external trade in goods amounts to EUR 114 million in December
In December 2019, the volume of exports lessened by 0.5% and that of imports rose by 4.3% compared to the same period of the previous year. The surplus was EUR 114 million, the balance deteriorating by EUR 267 million compared to December 2018. According to calendar-adjusted data, the export volume went down by 4.1% and the import volume increased by 1.7%. In January–December 2019, the surplus on the balance of external trade in goods amounted to EUR 4.9 billion, EUR 665 million less than a year earlier.
In December 2019:
The value of exports amounted to EUR 7.5 billion (HUF 2,499 billion) and that of imports to EUR 7.4 billion (HUF 2,462 billion).
In December 2019 compared to a year earlier:
The value of exports was down by 1.3% and that of imports increased by 2.3% in EUR terms.
The balance of external trade in goods deteriorated by EUR 267 million. (The surplus is EUR 20 million less than what was published in the first estimate.)
The forint (HUF) price level of goods imports went up by 0.8% and that of goods exports by 1.9% compared to the same month of the previous year. The terms of trade improved by 1.1%. The forint exchange rate weakened by 2.4% against the euro and by 4.9% against the dollar.
Calculated at prices in December 2018, the exports of machinery and transport equipment rose by 1.9% and their imports by 0.1%. The exports of road vehicles slightly increased, their imports fell by a few per cent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The growth on the export side was consistent with changes in trade in passenger cars and buses, and the decrease on the import side with changes in trade in parts of motor vehicles and in passenger cars. The exports of telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment slightly decreased, while their imports were up by nearly one-fourth. The increase of imports resulted from changes in trade in parts of radio wave equipment and in line telephone sets and telegraphic apparatus as well as video telephones and their parts, and the decrease of exports from changes in trade in TV sets and parts of radio wave equipment. The exports of electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, n.e.s., rose by more than one-sixth and their imports slightly. The growth in exports was connected to trade in electric accumulators and their parts as well as electric transformers and their parts and in imports to trade in electronic integrated circuits. The exports of power generating machinery and equipment were more than one-seventh and their imports only a few per cent lower compared to the same period of 2018. The reduction on both sides was due to changes in trade in spark-ignition internal combustion engines, in addition, in exports to changes in trade in diesel engines and in imports to changes in trade in parts of internal combustion engines.
The export volume of manufactured goods was reduced by 3.8%, their imports were up by 4.4%.
The export volume of fuels and electric energy fell by 15%, their import volume increased by 24%. The growth on the import side can be explained by changes in trade in petroleum, petroleum products and related materials, and the decrease on the export side by changes in trade in natural and manufactured gas and electric current.
The volume of exports of food, beverages and tobacco grew by 2.9% and the volume of their imports by 7.5%. One of the main factors of the increase on both sides was changes in trade in meat and meat preparations, and in imports in addition changes in trade in vegetables and fruits.
The volume of exports to EU Member States lessened by 3.4%, that of imports from there increased by 2.3%. The surplus on external trade in goods went down by EUR 328 million and amounted to EUR 377 million. These countries accounted for 77% of exports and 73% of imports.
In extra-EU trade, the volume of exports was up by 11% and that of imports by 10%. The balance of external trade in goods with this group of countries improved by EUR 61 million and showed a deficit of EUR 263 million.
In January–December 2019:
The value of exports amounted to EUR 108.9 billion (HUF 35.4 thousand billion) and that of imports to EUR 104.1 billion (HUF 33.8 thousand billion).
In January–December 2019 compared to a year earlier:
The volume of exports rose by 4.2% and that of imports by 5.7%.
The surplus on the balance of external trade in goods was down by EUR 665 million and amounted to EUR 4.9 billion.
The forint price level of external trade in goods increased by 1.1% in imports and by 1.7% in exports compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The terms of trade improved by 0.6%. The forint depreciated by 2.0% against the euro and by 7.5% against the dollar.
External trade in goods, January–December 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 HUF | 35 416 | 106.0 | 33 833 | 106.9 | 1 583 | 1 752 |
| Million EUR | 108 929 | 103.9 | 104 074 | 104.8 | 4 855 | 5 520 |