The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reports that, after declining in 2023, G20 merchandise exports rebounded in Q1 2024, as measured in current US dollars.
Compared to Q4 2023, exports increased by 1.9%, boosted by strong export growth in China, while imports contracted by 0.2%, partly reflecting decreasing energy prices.
Merchandise exports rose by 1.4% in Q1 2024 in the United States, driven by higher sales of consumer goods and agricultural products, while exports fell by 0.6% in Canada. Capital goods, and in particular computers and semiconductors, were the main contributors to import growth in the United States and Canada.
Exports increased by 0.9% in the European Union, mainly due to stronger sales of chemical products in France and Germany, while imports declined, albeit less strongly than the previous quarter, due to reduced energy purchases. In the United Kingdom, both exports and imports contracted due to lower trade in machinery and transport equipment.
Merchandise exports grew strongly in East Asia, with steel and machinery fuelling export growth in China (up 6.6%) and semiconductors and computers driving the Korean exports. Conversely, weak automobile sales weighed on export growth in Japan (down 2.1%).
Lower sales of primary commodities impacted exports from Australia (down 2.1%), Indonesia (down 0.9%), and Brazil (down 3.5%).