Press release No.090 / 2010-03-10

German exports in January 2010: +0.2% on January 2009

WIESBADEN – According to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), Germany exported commodities to the value of Euro 63.9 billion and imported commodities to the value of Euro 56.0 billion in January 2010. Hence, German exports increased by 0.2% and imports decreased by 1.4% in January 2010 against January 2009. Compared to the previous month, the calendar and seasonally adjusted development of exports and imports showed opposite trends. While exports fell by 6.3% in January 2010 on December 2009, imports rose by 6.0%.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of Euro 8.0 billion in January 2010. In January 2009, the surplus amounted to Euro 7.1 billion. Upon calendar and seasonal adjustment, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of Euro 8.7 billion in January 2010.

According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of Euro 3.6 billion in January 2010, which included the balance of services (– Euro 2.0 billion), factor income net (+ Euro 2.9 billion), current transfers (– Euro 4.4 billion), and supplementary trade items (– Euro 0.9 billion). In January 2009, the German current account showed a surplus of Euro 3.2 billion.

In January 2010, Germany dispatched commodities to the value of Euro 40.8 billion (–1.1%) to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it received commodities to the value of Euro 35.7 billion from those countries. Compared with January 2009, dispatches to the EU countries decreased by 1.1% and arrivals from those countries increased by 0.5%. Commodities to the value of Euro 28.0 billion (–2.1%) were dispatched to the euro area countries in January 2010, while the value of the commodities received from those countries was Euro 25.4 billion (–1.5%). In January 2010, commodities to the value of Euro 12.9 billion (+1.2%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the commodities which arrived from those countries was Euro 10.3 billion (+5.8%).

Exports of commodities to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to Euro 23.1 billion in January 2010, while imports from those countries totalled Euro 20.3 billion. Compared with January 2009, exports to third countries increased by 2.5% and imports from those countries decreased by 4.6%.

Flows of commodities and services in Euro billion
Item	January	December	January
Item	2010	2009
Discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding.
1 Exports (f.o.b.)	63.9	69.2	63.8
2 Imports (c.i.f.)	56.0	55.7	56.7
Balance of
3 Foreign trade (1-2)	8.0	13.4	7.1
4 Services	–2.0	2.2	–2.1
5 Factor income (net)	2.9	3.6	3.3
6 Current transfers	–4.4	1.3	–4.2
7 Supplementary trade items	–0.9	–0.7	–1.0
8 Current account (3+4+5+6+7)	3.6	19.9	3.2

Groups of countries
Item	January 2010	January 2009	Change on January 2009
Item	Euro billion		%
Total exports	63.9	63.8	0.2
Including:
EU Member States	40.8	41.3	–1.1
Eurozone	28.0	28.6	–2.1
Non-euro-zone	12.9	12.7	1.2
Third countries	23.1	22.5	2.5
Total imports	56.0	56.7	–1.4
Including:
EU Member States	35.7	35.5	0.5
Eurozone	25.4	25.8	–1.5
Non-euro-zone	10.3	9.7	5.8
Third countries	20.3	21.3	–4.6

Foreign trade (special trade)
Exports and imports
Original values/calendar and seasonally adjusted values ¹⁾
Year	Month	Exports				Imports
		original value		calendar and seasonally adjusted value ¹⁾		original value		calendar and seasonally adjusted value ¹⁾
		value in Euro billion	change on the same month of the pre-vious year in %	value in Euro billion	change on previous month in %	value in Euro billion	change on the same month of the pre-vious year in %	value in Euro billion	change on previous month in %
¹⁾ Using Census X-12-ARIMA.
2009	January	63.8	–23.4	66.3	–7.2	56.7	–14.4	59.2	–2.0
	February	63.8	–23.6	65.1	–1.9	55.0	–17.2	56.8	–4.1
	March	69.4	–16.2	65.4	0.4	57.8	–12.4	56.3	–0.7
	April	63.1	–28.9	62.2	–4.8	53.4	–23.4	52.9	–6.2
	May	60.1	–24.7	62.5	0.4	50.4	–22.9	52.2	–1.3
	June	67.2	–23.1	66.5	6.4	54.9	–18.8	54.9	5.2
	July	69.8	–18.9	67.6	1.7	55.6	–22.8	54.9	0.1
	August	59.2	–20.9	65.7	–2.8	51.1	–20.2	55.2	0.5
	September	69.8	–19.0	68.1	3.6	59.4	–16.3	58.4	5.8
	October	74.1	–16.5	69.4	1.9	60.6	–15.8	56.7	–2.9
	November	73.3	–3.7	70.1	1.1	56.1	–15.1	53.2	–6.2
	December	69.2	3.7	72.5	3.4	55.7	–6.1	55.9	5.0
2010	January	63.9	0.2	67.9	–6.3	56.0	–1.4	59.2	6.0

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