Foreign trade and import prices

In May 2019 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to April 2019, increased both for outgoing flows (+1.3%) and for incoming flows (+0.7%). Exports rose for EU countries (+1.7%) and non EU countries (+0.8%). Imports increased by +0.7% for non EU countries and by +0.6% for EU countries.

Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the three months earlier, increased either for exports (+1.4%) and imports (+0.4%).

In May 2019, compared with the same month of the previous year, both exports and imports rose (+8.0% and +3.4% respectively). Outgoing flows rose by +8.1% for EU countries and by +7.8% for non EU countries. Incoming flows increased for both non EU area and EU area (+4.1% and +2.8% respectively). The trade balance in May 2019 amounted to +5,347 million Euros (+3,099 million Euros for non EU area and +2,248 million Euros for EU countries).

In May 2019, the total import prices index increased by 0.4% compared to the previous month (for the euro zone the index increased by 0.1% and 0.5% for the non-euro zone); the total twelve-month rate of change increased by 1.0% (respectively increased by 1.0% for the euro zone and increased by 0.9% for the non-euro zone).

The quarterly total index of import prices increased by 0.9% compared to the previous period, unchanged for the euro zone and increased by 1.8% for the non-euro zone.