FEBRUARY KEY FIGURES

		Dec 2009	Jan 2010	Feb 2010	Jan 10 to Feb 10
		$m	$m	$m	% change
BALANCE ON GOODS AND SERVICES
	Trend estimates	-1 635	-1 695	-1 769	. .
	Seasonally adjusted	-2 021	-1 120	-1 924	. .
CREDITS (Exports of goods & services)
	Trend estimates	19 787	19 888	19 982	-
	Seasonally adjusted	20 006	20 209	19 922	-1
DEBITS (Imports of goods & services)
	Trend estimates	21 422	21 583	21 752	1
	Seasonally adjusted	22 027	21 329	21 845	2
. . not applicable
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)

Balance on Goods and Services

FEBRUARY KEY POINTS


BALANCE ON GOODS AND SERVICES

• The trend estimate of the balance on goods and services was a deficit of $1,769m in February 2010, an increase of $74m on the revised deficit in January 2010.
• In seasonally adjusted terms, the balance on goods and services was a deficit of $1,924m in February 2010, an increase of $804m on the revised deficit in January 2010.

CREDITS (EXPORTS OF GOODS & SERVICES)

• Seasonally adjusted, goods and services credits fell $287m (1%) to $19,922m. Non-monetary gold fell $349m (28%) and non-rural goods fell $25m. Rural goods rose $45m (2%) and services credits rose $42m (1%).

DEBITS (IMPORTS OF GOODS & SERVICES)

• Seasonally adjusted, goods and services debits rose $516m (2%) to $21,845m. Consumption goods rose $263m (5%) with the non-industrial transport equipment component up $210m (16%), non-monetary gold rose $116m (33%) and capital goods rose $65m (2%). Intermediate and other merchandise goods fell $57m (1%) and services debits rose $129m (3%).

NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE	Release Date
March 2010	6 May 2010
April 2010	3 June 2010
May 2010	6 July 2010
June 2010	4 August 2010
July 2010	2 September 2010
August 2010	5 October 2010

REVISIONS

Table 17 summarises revisions, in original current price terms, since the last issue of this publication, for the last three financial years and last six months.

Revisions have been made to incorporate the latest available data relating to merchandise trade and international trade in services. In original terms, these revisions have:

• increased the deficit on goods and services for January 2010 by $83m
• decreased the surplus on goods and services for 2008-09 by $339m.

Seasonally adjusted and trend series are revised due to the incorporation of revised estimates, incorporation of estimates for the latest month and the rederivation of seasonal factors under the concurrent seasonal adjustment methodology.


RELATED PUBLICATION

The publication Characteristics of Australian Exporters, 2008-09 (cat. no. 5368.0.55.006) will be released on 9 April 2010 (it was previously scheduled to be released on 26 March 2010.). This publication will analyse the number and characteristics of Australia's exporters. Estimates of exporters of merchandise trade are compiled from data sourced from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and from the Australian Taxation Office's Australian Business Register. Estimates of exporters of services are compiled largely from the ABS Survey of International Trade in Services.


INQUIRIES

For further information contact Selvi Sekhar on Canberra (02) 6252 5540 for Goods, and Karen McGuigan on Canberra (02) 6252 5415 for Services.