New Zealand Trade balance registers deficit of 159m in December

FXStreet (Bali) - New Zealand Trade balance for December came in at -159m vs 75m expected and prior of -213m, with both imports and exports coming above expectations.

Main headlines

New Zealand Exports registered at $4.42B above expectations ($4.21B) in December

New Zealand Imports came in at $4.58B, above expectations ($4.21B) in December

New Zealand Trade Balance (YoY) came in at $-1.15B below forecasts ($-0.98B) in December

New Zealand Trade Balance (MoM) below expectations ($-75m) in December: Actual ($-159M)

Key facts

December 2014 quarter:

Values are seasonally adjusted and compared with the September 2014 quarter.

Exports rose 0.9 percent (to $12 billion).

Meat and edible offal led the rise.

Imports showed little change, down 0.2 percent (to $13 billion).

There was a trade deficit of $904 million (7.4 percent of exports).

Exports trend has been falling, while imports trend continues to rise.

December 2014 month:

Values are actual and compared with the December 2013 month.

Exports fell 6.9 percent (to $4.4 billion), led by whole milk powder.

Imports rose 7.6 percent (to $4.6 billion).

There was a trade deficit of $159 million (3.6 percent of exports).

December 2014 year:

Values are actual and compared with the December 2013 year.

Exports rose 4.3 percent (to $50 billion), led by milk powder.

China was our top export destination for the year ended December 2014.

Imports rose 6.0 percent (to $51 billion), led by aircraft and parts.