09/12/2011

Exports Reach Record £26.5bn

The UK's exports have hit a record £26.5bn according to figures released by the Office of National Statistics on Friday.

The rise means the trade deficit dramatically narrowed sharply in October, as the value of exports hit a record high.

A fall in imports, from September's record £34.6bn to £34.1bn, meant the deficit in total trade fell to £7.6bn, down from £10.2bn since September.

The ONS said higher that usual exports of chemicals, medical products, and telecoms equipment, were responsible for the record figure.

However, in contrast, there has been a startling drop in volume of construction output, which fell by 1.1% totalling £295 million, according to figures released on Thursday.

Worse still, new contracts dropped by 1.8% or £340 million while repair and maintenance managed only a 0.5% rise.

The news comes as, earlier this week, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Foreign Secretary William Hague launched a UK Trade & Investment campaign to encourage more British companies to export to Asia emerging markets.

As part of the campaign, UK Trade & Investment joined forces with RBS to deliver a series of programmes to demonstrate key business opportunities across 12 Asian markets to UK firms.

The events will be held in February 2012, and will focus on China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

(DW)

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