THURSDAY, 11.00AM:
IMPORTS rose 3,6% from August to September, and exports were down 4%, latest customs and excise figures reveal. The rise in imports has been attributed to oil imports which had been excluded from the August figures and lumped into the September figure; the decline in exports has been attributed to disappointing gems and metals exports.
For the year to September, exports are up by 17% over the same period last year. But there has been a steady decline since July after an excellent first half, which analysts attribute to the scrapping of export incentives in July.