Foreign trade and import prices

In October 2020 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to September 2020, dropped by -1.3% for outgoing flows and rose by +1.4% for incoming flows. Exports decreased for both EU countries (-0.3%) and non EU countries (-2.3%). Imports grew by +1.2% for EU countries and by +1.6% for non EU countries.

Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the previous three months, increased by +13.5% for both exports and imports.

In October 2020, compared with the same month of the previous year, both exports and imports fell (-8.4% and -8.2% respectively). Outgoing flows decreased by -7.2% for EU countries and by -9.7% for non EU countries. Incoming flows dropped by -5.1% for EU area and by -12.4% non EU area. The trade balance in October 2020 amounted to +7,565 million Euros (+402 million Euros for EU countries and +7,163 million Euros for non EU countries).

In October 2020, import prices increased by 0.3% on monthly basis (+0.1% for the euro zone, +0.3% for the non-euro zone). Over the last three months, compared to the previous three months, import prices increased by 0.7% (+0.3% for the euro zone, +1.0% for the non-euro zone).

Import prices, compared to the same month a year ago, decreased by 5.0% in October 2020 (-1.3% for the euro zone and -8.5% for the non-euro zone).

2019 final data on foreign trade have been consolidated and data related to the first five months of 2020 have been revised, using the Intrastat declarations that became available after 30 June 2020, at the end of the suspension of the transmission obligation, provided for by the “Cura Italia” Decree (Law Decree 17 March 2020, No 18) among the measures to support businesses in the first phase of the Covid-19 crisis.