External trade in goods, indices of volume and price, Q2 2000

The volume of exports excluding ships and oil platforms increased by 4.2 per cent and the volume of traditional goods by 2.9 per cent.

Adjusted for seasonality, there was an increase in the exports' volume of 1.1 per cent from the first to the second quarter this year, and an increase of 3.5 per cent in the exports of traditional goods. The seasonally adjusted index for the volume of imports shows an increase of 8.2 per cent from the first quarter.

The substantial 43.9 per cent increase in the price index for the exports in the last quarter is caused by higher prices in the exports of fuels - especially crude oil - and metals. Fuels and metals exclusive of iron increased by 82.5 and 34.7 per cent, respectively. The average export price level for aluminium increased by 27.8 per cent, whereas the price level for nickel was measured at more than twice the level of a year ago.

The volume of the imports of ores and metals increased by 58 and 62 per cent, respectively.

There was an improvement in the Norwegian terms of trade of 40.1 per cent, as measured by the ratio between the export and import price indices for the second quarter of 1999 and 2000. For the external trade in traditional goods there was an improvement of 10.5 per cent.

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.

Tables:

• Tabell 1. External trade in commodities excl. ships and oil platforms. Indices of price and volume. 2nd quarter 2000