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 December 2017.

In December 2017 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the previous month, increased both for outgoing flows (+0.6%) and for incoming flows (+3.3%). Exports increased for EU countries (+2.5%) and fell for non EU countries (-1.8%). Imports rose both for EU countries (+4.5%) and non EU countries (+1.6%). Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the three months earlier, showed an increase for exports (+3.4%) and for imports (+3.3%).

In December 2017, compared with the same month of the previous year, both exports and imports increased (+2.0% and +3.7% respectively). Outgoing flows increased by 2.1% for EU countries and by 1.8% for non EU countries. The growth in purchases is due to the increase for EU area (7.4%) while non EU area decreased by 1.7%. The trade balance in December amounted to +5,253 million Euros (+6,228 million Euros for non EU countries and -974 million Euros for 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 September 2010 indices are compiled in the reference base 2010.

In December 2017 the total import price index increased by 0.4 % compared to the previous month (the index stayed unchanged for the euro zone and increased by 0.7% for the non-euro zone); the total twelve-month rate of change increased by 1.6% (respectively increased by 1.3% for the euro zone and by 1.9% for the non-euro zone).

The quarterly total index increased by 1.7% compared to the previous period, it increased by 0.1% for the euro zone and by 3.2% for the non-euro zone.