New Zealand trade deficit hits eight-year high in February
Source: Xinhua   2017-03-24 10:03:01

WELLINGTON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's annual trade deficit for the year ending February hit 3.8 billion NZ dollars (2.67 billion U.S. dollars) the largest since April 2009, the government statistics agency said Friday.

The export of a large drilling platform in February 2016 inflated annual exports and reduced the annual trade deficit over the period from February 2016 to January 2017, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Drilling platforms, some worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are counted in goods trade as imports when they arrive in New Zealand and as exports when they leave, even though they are typically leased for the period they are in New Zealand.

If the drilling platform export was excluded, the annual trade deficit of March 2016 would have been 4 billion NZ dollars (2.81 billion U.S. dollars), just under the deficit 4.1 billion NZ dollars (2.88 billion U.S. dollars) in April 2009.

Goods exports fell by 232 million NZ dollars (163.07 million U.S. dollars), or 5.5 percent, in February from the same month last year, largely due to the export of the drilling platform.

Excluding the drilling platform, goods exports showed little change, up by 35 million NZ dollars (24.6 million U.S. dollars), or 0.9 percent.

"There were mixed results for New Zealand's other export commodities in February 2017," international trade statistics senior manager Daria Kwon said in a statement.

"Exports of dairy, meat and fruit were up, but other primary produce exports, including fish, wool and casein, were down compared with the same month of the previous year."

Last month, dairy exports were up by 55 million NZ dollars (38.66 million U.S. dollars), or 5.6 percent, in value, driven by rises in commodity values.

Imports rose by 154 million NZ dollars (108.24 million U.S. dollars), or 4 percent, led by a large rise in the price and quantity of crude oil.

The monthly trade balance for February 2017 was a deficit of 18 million NZ dollars (12.65 million U.S. dollars), in contrast to the surpluses in recent February months.

Editor: xuxin
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New Zealand trade deficit hits eight-year high in February

Source: Xinhua 2017-03-24 10:03:01
[Editor: huaxia]

WELLINGTON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's annual trade deficit for the year ending February hit 3.8 billion NZ dollars (2.67 billion U.S. dollars) the largest since April 2009, the government statistics agency said Friday.

The export of a large drilling platform in February 2016 inflated annual exports and reduced the annual trade deficit over the period from February 2016 to January 2017, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Drilling platforms, some worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are counted in goods trade as imports when they arrive in New Zealand and as exports when they leave, even though they are typically leased for the period they are in New Zealand.

If the drilling platform export was excluded, the annual trade deficit of March 2016 would have been 4 billion NZ dollars (2.81 billion U.S. dollars), just under the deficit 4.1 billion NZ dollars (2.88 billion U.S. dollars) in April 2009.

Goods exports fell by 232 million NZ dollars (163.07 million U.S. dollars), or 5.5 percent, in February from the same month last year, largely due to the export of the drilling platform.

Excluding the drilling platform, goods exports showed little change, up by 35 million NZ dollars (24.6 million U.S. dollars), or 0.9 percent.

"There were mixed results for New Zealand's other export commodities in February 2017," international trade statistics senior manager Daria Kwon said in a statement.

"Exports of dairy, meat and fruit were up, but other primary produce exports, including fish, wool and casein, were down compared with the same month of the previous year."

Last month, dairy exports were up by 55 million NZ dollars (38.66 million U.S. dollars), or 5.6 percent, in value, driven by rises in commodity values.

Imports rose by 154 million NZ dollars (108.24 million U.S. dollars), or 4 percent, led by a large rise in the price and quantity of crude oil.

The monthly trade balance for February 2017 was a deficit of 18 million NZ dollars (12.65 million U.S. dollars), in contrast to the surpluses in recent February months.

[Editor: huaxia]
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