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 April 2017.

• In April 2017 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to March 2017, decreased by 1.8% for outgoing flows and by 0.6% for incoming flows. Exports decreased for non EU countries (-4.9%) and increased for EU countries (+0.7%). Imports decreased for both areas: by 0.8% for non EU countries and by 0.5% for EU countries. Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, in comparison with the previous three months, showed a growth of 1.1% for exports and of 1.9% for imports.

• In April 2017, compared with the same month of the previous year, exports and imports decreased (-2.8% and -0.2% respectively). Outgoing flows decreased by 3.7% for non EU countries and by 2.1% for EU countries. Incoming flows decreased by 2.9% for EU area and increased by 4.0% for non EU area. The trade
  balance in April amounted to +3,6 billion Euros (+1,0 billion Euros for EU area and +2,6 billion 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 April 2010 indices are compiled in the reference base 2010.

In April 2017 the total import price index increased by 0.1 % compared to the previous month (the index increased by 0.1% for the euro zone and by 0.2% for the non-euro zone); the total twelve-month rate of change increased by 4.5% (respectively increased by 2.1% for the euro zone and by 6.6% for the non-euro zone).

The quarterly total index increased by 0.8% compared with the previous period, by 0.6% for the euro zone and by 1.0% for the non-euro zone.