Latest Release: December 2019

Analysing International Trade Patterns: Comparative Advantage for the World’s Major Economies

Comparative advantage is the single most widely used indicator for measuring a country’s international trade performance. A country is considered to have a comparative advantage in the production of certain goods if it has low relative cost in the production of that good compared to other countries. This paper revealed comparative advantage (RCA) for seven major economies that contributed about 80% of global manufacturing exports. According to business literature, a country’s standard of living and a firm’s profit depend on competitive advantage. On the other hand, economics literature suggests that while it may be desirable to have an absolute advantage in the production of goods, it is the comparative advantage that is vital in explaining trade patterns.

There are two theories to explain patterns of trade: comparative advantage and increasing returns to scale. Comparative advantage occurs due to differences across countries in factor endowment or technology, whereas returns to scale is related to a country’s size (returns to scale), market structure (with imperfect competition), and location (with trade costs). While estimation of comparative advantage at a single point in time is important, a deeper understanding of trade dynamics requires the knowledge of how these advantages are changing over time.

Link: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/JCIM/article/download/12446/13352/0

Suggested by: Nur Fathin Mohd Khalil (Statistician, DOSM)

ASEAN-EU - International Trade in Goods Statistics

Link: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/71515.pdf

This article provides a picture of the international trade in goods between the European Union (EU) and ASEAN . It analyses the type of goods exchanged between them and the shares of each EU Member State in those exchanges. 

The countries belonging to ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. This article is part of an online publication providing recent statistics on international trade in goods, covering information on the EU’s main partners, main products traded, specific characteristics of trade as well as background information.

Suggested by: Jamaliah Jaafar (Statistician, DOSM)

Handbook of Statistics 2019

The UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics 2019 provides a wide range of statistics and indicators relevant to the analysis of international trade, investment, maritime transport and development. Reliable statistical information is indispensable for formulating sound policies and recommendations that may commit countries for many years as they strive to integrate into the world economy and improve the living standards of their citizens. Whether for research, consultation or technical cooperation, UNCTAD needs reliable and internationally comparable trade, financial and macroeconomic data, covering several decades and for as many countries as possible.

This year’s edition incorporates several new charts and maps, and also includes for the first time new maritime statistics dealing with port performance: tables showing the number of port calls and the time spent by ships in port, sub-divided into eight market segments (see Maritime transport indicators page). This update also incorporates the latest population estimates from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2019 (including significant adjustments for Eritrea, Eswatini, Lebanon, Maldives, South Sudan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe). The urban and rural population estimates are based on the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects 2018.

Read more: https://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/tdstat44_en.pdf

Happy Chinese New Year!

Trade Info Vol. 2/2020

Imports of Oranges and Mandarins

2000 - November 2019 

Gong Xi Fa Chai❗️❗️

Dari kami warga Bahagian Perangkaan Perdagangan Antarabangsa kepada semua kaum Cina di seluruh negara. Kami harap anda gembira meraikan Tahun Baru Cina dengan keluarga dan rakan-rakan.