External trade in goods, April 2000

Adjusted for seasonality, the value of external trade showed an increase in exports of 4.5 per cent for the three-month period from February to April compared with the previous three-month period. Excluding crude oil and natural gas, the increase was 2.5 per cent. The imports decreased by 1 per cent.

The accumulated trade surplus for January through April was 65.1 billion kroner, compared with 13.9 billion during the same period last year.

The Norwegian exports of crude oil doubled to 16.4 billion kroner in April, compared with 8.6 billion in the same month last year. The export volume of crude oil in April 2000 was 87 million barrels, up from 71 million barrels in April 1999. The estimated, average export price for April 2000 was 188 kroner per barrel, compared with 115 kroner in April 1999.

Whereas the total exports of traditional goods in the first four months of 2000 show an increase of 12.6 per cent and the imports a moderate increase of 0.9 per cent, the trade with several of the East European countries has increased considerably. The imports from Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and the Czech Republic have increased by 59, 65, 36 and 14 per cent, respectively. The Norwegian exports to Russia have increased by merely 4 per cent, but the Norwegian exports to Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia have increased by 150, 48, 38 and 33 per cent, respectively.

The figures are exclusive of ships and mobile oil platforms, the same as traditional goods on the import side. For exports, traditional goods are also exclusive of crude oil and natural gas.