MERCHANDISE trade showed moderate
growth in the major economies during the fourth quarter of 2012. Compared to the
third quarter, the value of merchandise exports and imports for the G7 and BRICS
countries increased by 1.2% and 1.0%, respectively. However, performance varied
widely across individual countries.
Compared to the previous quarter, merchandise imports and exports
increased in the fourth quarter of 2012 in the United States (by 0.9% and 1.4%,
respectively), China (by 2.8% and 3.8%), the Russian Federation (by 1.1% and
4.8%), India (by 6.5% and 3.1%), Brazil (by 7.7% and 1.1%) and, more moderately,
France (by 0.8% and 0.1%).
Imports grew and exports contracted in Germany (by 0.2% and minus 0.6%
respectively) and in the United Kingdom (by 1.6% and minus 2.2%). Imports
contracted grew as exports grew in Canada (by minus 0.2% and 1.4%) and in Italy
(by minus 0.7% and 2.3%).
Imports and exports contracted sharply in Japan (by minus 4.4% and by
minus 3.9%) and more moderately in South Africa (by minus 1.4% and minus 1.0%).
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