The Central Bank released its preliminary data on the nation's terms of trade.<br />Export prices in January went up, but was slightly offset by a hike in import prices.<br />Kim Hyesung breaks down the digits for us. <br /> Korea's import value index in January jumped 21-point-9 percent on year, coming to 130-point-0-6, the highest figure in almost four years.<br />According to the Bank of Korea on Monday, the import value index increased on the back of rising imports of equipment, machinery... and coal and petroleum products. <br /> The value index for exports also rose last month on-year by 22-point-7 percent, thanks to rising shipments of electronic devices like DRAM and Nand Flash,... and chemical products such as cosmetics goods.<br />The volume index for exports also went up by almost 15%.<br /><br /> Both the import and export value indexes have increased for more than a year amid improving global trade, as demand for goods increased."<br /><br /> Korea's net barter terms of trade, which measures the amount of imports a country can buy for each unit of exports, dropped to a near three-year low.<br />It fell by nearly one percent as export prices were offset by rising import prices.<br />Part of that was due to global oil prices -- Dubai crude went up more than 23% on year.<br />Kim Hyesung, Arirang News. <br />
