Exports are growing (July 2011) compared to the previous month: +2,3%, according to Istat data. In the same period, imports decreased by 0,4%. In the last quarter examined (May-July) the trend compared to the previous quarter was positive for exports (+2,1%) and negative for imports (-3,2%).
In terms of the trade balance, the deficit in the energy sector (-5,1 billion euros) is larger than a year ago (-4,3 billion), but the surplus in the trade of non-energy products grows from 4 billion in July 2010 to 4,8 billion in July 2011.
The trend increase in exports involves all the main sectors, with rates above the average for energy (+18,3%), capital goods (+10,3%) and non-durable consumer goods (+8,9, 19,4%). Even in July, energy imports (+5,9%) showed an above-average increase. For intermediate products, a positive trend was recorded, albeit with a marked slowdown compared to the previous months (+11,2%). On the other hand, a clear drop in imports is seen for durable consumer goods (-XNUMX%).
The most dynamic markets for exports are: Russia (+21,8%), Switzerland (+13,6%), Turkey (+12,8%) and Japan (+11,8%). The growth of exports is lower than the average towards the EDA countries (+7,3%), the United States (+5,1%), which however records the largest trade surplus (1.034 million), the ASEAN countries (+ 4,8%) and largely negative towards OPEC countries (-11%).
The growth of imports is supported by purchases from Russia (+70,2%), India (+23,6%), Turkey (+20,4%), EDA countries (+16,2%) and from ASEAN countries (+13,6%). Imports from Japan (-24,4%), Switzerland (-9,6%) and OPEC countries (-6,9%) are decreasing sharply.
