Foreign trade and import prices

Istat presents data on Italy’s foreign trade as well as unit value and volume indices (base year 2010=100) referring to May 2017.

• In May 2017 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to April 2017, increased by 1.2% for outgoing flows and by 3.2% for incoming flows. Exports increased for non EU countries (+2.2%) and for EU countries (+0.4%). Imports increased for both areas: by 4.3% for non EU countries and by 2.4% for EU countries. Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, in comparison with the previous three months, showed a growth of 2.0% for exports and of 1.5% for imports.

• In May 2017, compared with the same month of the previous year, exports and imports increased (+13.1% and +17.5% respectively). Outgoing flows increased by 13.9% for non EU countries and by 12.6% for EU countries. Incoming flows increased by 22.3% for non EU area and by 14.2% for EU area. The trade balance in May amounted
  to +4,342 million Euros (+1,691 million Euros for EU area and +2,650 million Euros for non EU countries).

The import price index measures the evolution of prices for industrial products bought by industrial and commercial enterprises in Italy, both in the euro zone and the non-euro zone. Since May 2010 indices are compiled in the reference base 2010.

In May 2017 the total import price index decreased by 0.8 % compared to the previous month (the index decreased by 0.1% for the euro zone and by 1.3% for the non-euro zone); the total twelve-month rate of change increased by 2.7% (respectively increased by 1.9% for the euro zone and by 3.4% for the non-euro zone).

The quarterly total index decreased by 0.2% compared with the previous period and by 0.8% for the non-euro zone; as long as it increased by 0.7% for the euro zone.