Details from the September 2016 UK visible trade balance 9 November 2016
Prior -12.112bn
Trade balance -5.221bn vs -3.950bn exp. Prior -4.733bn. Revised to -3.768bn
Non-EU bal -3.969bn vs -3.450bn exp. Prior -3.756bn. Revised to -3.291bn
EU trade -8.729bn vs -8.356bn prior. Revised to -7.856bn
Exports -0.8% vs 0.2% prior
Imports 4.7% vs 5.3% prior
Imports still running high so no real benefit so far from the weaker pound to our exporters.
That also wraps up the quarter where the numbers look slightly better.
Q3 trade bal -11.047bn vs -12.691bn in Q2
Q3 exports +1.8% vs -1.2% prior q/q
2.6% y/y
Q3 imports -0.3% vs 1.5% prior q/q
5.0% y/y
Q4 will be important to see if the fall in the quid really is going to have a marked effect.
The ONS say that the Q3 numbers should add a small positive contribution to the next GDP revision.
UK visible trade balance