South Korea's central bank has released its data on the volume and price of the export and imports for last month.... as well as the nation's terms of trade.
Kim Hyesung reports.
South Korea's export price index has fallen for the fifth consecutive month.
According to the Bank of Korea on Friday, the export value index, which measures fluctuations in the prices of outbound shipments, tumbled four-point-two percent on-year in April.
This comes despite a rebound in the export volume index, which measures changes in the amount of goods exported.
The export volume index for April jumped two-point-four percent on-year after falling for four straight months.
While the export volume for electronic equipment went up thanks to more smartphone shipments, prices of electronics equipment plunged twelve percent on-year in April due to falling semiconductor prices.
Both export volume and prices for goods like machinery, transportation equipment went up on growing plant and auto exports.
The import volume index and import value index increased one-point-six percent on-year in April thanks to more agricultural goods imports and primary metal imports.
Overall, South Korea's terms of trade, which measure the amount of imports a country can purchase for each unit of exports, relative to the base year of 2010, slumped more than six percent on-year in April, worsening for the 17th month in a row.
Kim Hyesung, Arirang News.