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JULY KEY FIGURES

	May 2008	June 2008	July 2008
	$m	$m	$m
Food and live animals	682	592	667
Beverages and tobacco	116	112	116
Crude materials, inedible, except fuels	224	194	277
Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials	3 256	2 903	3 761
Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes	58	26	47
Chemicals and related products, nes	1 977	1 829	1 969
Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material	1 901	1 879	2 029
Machinery and transport equipment	7 097	7 342	7 558
Miscellaneous manufactured articles	2 058	1 985	2 267
Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere in the SITC	808	654	966
TOTAL	18 177	17 516	19 658

• In original terms, July 2008 merchandise imports were $19,658m, an increase of $2,142m (12%) on the revised June 2008 merchandise imports of $17,516m.

• Preliminary analysis shows that goods imports (debits) on a balance of payments basis increased by $845m (5%) in seasonally adjusted terms between June and July 2008. Intermediate and other merchandise goods rose $864m (10%) with fuels and lubricants up $822m (29%). Other goods rose $262m (30%) with goods for processing up $146m and non monetary gold up $94m (13%). Capital goods fell $195m (5%) with civil aircraft down $320m (64%) and Consumption goods fell $85m (2%).

• all data from July 2005 are presented according to SITC Rev 4 and BoPBEC Rev 1
• all data prior to July 2005 are presented according to SITC Rev 3 and BoPBEC Rev 1
• therefore, a break in each of the series occurs between June 2005 and July 2005
• time series spreadsheet table 3 (543903.xls) presents all SITC 3-digit items instead of the selected 2-digit and 3-digit items previously shown
• SITC Rev 4 free standing descriptors are used to present data for all periods and care should be taken when using free standing descriptors to interpret data prior to July 2005
• time series spreadsheets and data cubes have been modified to accommodate labels for SITC Rev 4 and, in some cases, titles and data item descriptions have been modified to improve consistency
• an error in the concordance between two petroleum tariff item statistical codes and related classifications was previously corrected back to July 2006. This correction has been extended back to July 2005 for good imports for the following classifications:
  • SITC Rev 4 item 33460 - Petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals (other than crude) and preparations n.e.s., containing by weight 70 % or more of petroleum oils or of oils obtained from bituminous minerals, these oils being the basic constituents of the preparations, other than waste oils
  • BoPBEC Rev 1 item OK02 - motor spirit and item OK03 - other petroleum.

• SITC Rev 3 basis for 2005-06 and 2006-07 (with SITC Rev 3 for earlier periods available from the relevant time series spreadsheets)
• BEC basis for all periods prior to July 2007
• BEC 2007 basis for periods from July 2005.