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International Trade Price Indexes, Australia, March 2024
Export price index fell 2.1% this quarter and 8.3% through the year. • Import price index fell 1.8% this quarter and fell 0.7% through the year. Export price index: The main contributors to the fall were: • Crude fertilisers and minerals (-58.1%), due to surplus supply in the lithium market pushing down prices as battery manufacturers drew down on current inventories, • Metalliferous ores and metal scrap (-1.6%), as supplies of iron ore outpaced demand due to the weaker Chinese construction sector, further exacerbated by high inventory levels at Chinese ports, • Gas, natural and manufactured (-1.0%), driven ... (full story)