United Kingdom Trade Balance
Medium | £-20.003 B | £-15.434 B |
£-18.894 B
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Last release | Importance | Actual | Forecast |
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£-19.924 B |
£-20.003 B
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Next release | Actual | Forecast |
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Trade Balance shows a change between national exports and imports over a selected period. Economists use the Trade Balance to evaluate the structure of trade flows between countries.
A trade deficit is formed when more goods and services are imported than exported. For countries with highly developed economies, like Great Britain, it means that labor-intensive production is transferred abroad, thus restraining inflation and maintaining high standard of living. A trade deficit in these cases is covered by other methods of economic interaction, for example by issuing debt instruments.
When exports exceed imports, a trade surplus is formed. It is an indication of high production level. It also shows that the nation produces more goods and services than it can consume.
The impact of the Trade Balance on the pound quotes is ambiguous and depends on the context of business cycles and other economic indicators, such as production dynamics. For example, in economy recession conditions, countries begin to export more in order to create jobs. Conversely, if the economy grows rapidly, developed countries prefer to develop imports in order to ensure price competition. This may influence pound sterling quotes accordingly.
Last values:
actual data
forecast
The chart of the entire available history of the "United Kingdom Trade Balance" macroeconomic indicator. The dashed line shows the forecast values of the economic indicator for the specified dates.
A significant deviation of a real value from a forecast one may cause a short-term strengthening or weakening of a national currency in the Forex market. The threshold values of the indicators signaling the approach of the critical state of the national (local) economy occupy a special place.