Terms of trade deteriorate further

Dutch terms of trade of imported and exported goods deteriorated in April 2010 relative to April 2009. Prices of imported goods were 9.0 percent higher, while prices of exported goods rose by 7.0 percent. In April 2010, terms of trade were also down on March 2010.

The deterioration was mainly caused by changes in petroleum and natural gas prices. The Netherlands imports considerably more petroleum than it exports and exports much more natural gas than it imports. Petroleum prices were much higher in April 2010 than in April 2009, whereas natural gas prices were lower than one year previously. Higher prices for petroleum derivatives and basic metals also contributed to the increase in import prices. Export prices of petroleum derivatives, basic metals and chemical products were also much higher than one year previously.

Terms of trade

More figures can be found on the theme page International trade.