Overseas Trade Indexes (Volumes): December 2009 quarter (provisional)

All references are to seasonally adjusted series and compared with the September 2009 quarter unless otherwise stated.

• Merchandise export volumes fell 1.2 percent.
• Petroleum and petroleum products (down 18.3 percent, largely due to crude oil), and dairy products (down 4.0 percent), were the main contributors to the fall in total export volumes.
• Partly offsetting the fall in export volumes was a rise in meat (up 12.3 percent).
• Merchandise import volumes rose 1.6 percent.
• Capital goods (up 8.2 percent) and passenger motor cars (up 32.2 percent) contributed the most to the overall rise in import volumes.