Yesterday, the Statistical Institute of Belize published its latest statistics on the consumer price index and external trade for the country of Belize.
Consumer Price Index
Figures released by the Institute show that the All-Items Consumer Price Index for March 2018 stood at 104.5, a decrease from 105.1 in March 2017. On average, during this month in 2018, the prices of goods and services regularly purchased by Belizean households were 0.6 percent lower than they were in the same month of 2017. With a reported 0.6 percent inflation rate, Punta Gorda Town was the only municipality to report an increase in consumer prices for March 2018.
Click the following link to read more: Consumer Price Index, March 2018
Merchandise Trade
In March 2018, Belize imported goods valuing $148.9 million. This represented a 3.9 percent or $6.1 million decrease from the same month last year. The third month of the year saw decreased imports across most of the commodity categories, most significantly in the importation of ‘Manufactured Goods’, ‘Machinery and Transport Equipment’ and ‘Chemical Products’.Merchandise imports for the first three months of the year, January to March 2018, amounted to $429.9 million, representing a 0.4 percent or $1.8 million decrease from the same period last year.
The total value of Belize’s domestic exports for the month of March 2018 was $56.9 million, down 18.5 percent or $12.9 million from the $69.8 million recorded for March 2017. This substantial decline was the result of decreased export earnings across all of Belize’s major commodities. Crude petroleum experienced the most significant drop for the month, as there were no exports recorded for that commodity, compared to revenues of $5.6 million during March of last year. Merchandise exports for the period January to March 2018 totalled $105.4 million, down 19 percent or $24.7 million from the $130.1 million recorded for the same period last year.
Click the following link to read more: External Trade, March 2018
