What Are Out Export Numbers Telling You?

On Business Times: E&E, gas sales help cushion decline in June exports

Now that would seem a rather tame headline and more so the decline in June exports were considered to be BETTER than what the pros had forecasted.

Yeah.. we talking about recovery NOW or what! :D

The words that matter for me.

• Exports in June fell 22.6 per cent year-on-year....

22.6 percent!

Well that's how bad things are still in the exports sector.

Hey, exports does matter for our country, yes?

Here's the rest of the media report.

• E&E, gas sales help cushion decline in June exports
  
  By Hamisah HamidPublished: 2009/08/06
  
  MALAYSIA'S exports fell at a slower rate in June, helped by a slower deceleration in the exports of electronic and electrical (E&E) products and a rise in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
  
  Exports in June fell 22.6 per cent year-on-year, beating a 25.47 per cent contraction forecast in the Business Times poll.
  
  Together, E&E and LNG accounted for 46.2 per cent of the overall exports.
  
  Imports also dropped 20.8 per cent from the same month a year ago, while total trade shrank by 21.8 per cent to RM81.09 billion.
  
  The International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) said month-on-month, exports rose 5.1 per cent in June to RM45.1 billion from May, while imports rose 9.4 per cent to RM35.99 billion.
  
  Economists said the decline in the country's exports is easing, but improvement is likely to be gradual because exports still register a sharp drop year-on-year.
  
  "The month-on-month trend shows that the contraction in global demand is stabilising, but we are not expecting a V-shape recovery in exports because major developed economies are still in recession in the first half of the year," RAM chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng told Business Times yesterday.
  
  "Some are projecting a recovery or slight growth in the US economy in the third quarter, but not a robust recovery," he added.
  
  Yeah said at a 20 per cent contraction, Malaysia's exports are still better than other Asian countries such as Singapore, Japan and China, whose exports have shrunk between 30 per cent and 40 per cent since the onset of the global financial crisis.
  
  MIDF Research head Zulkifli Hamzah said the month-on-month recovery in exports was in line with regional trend, driven by intra-Asian trade.
  
  "The Western economies of US and Europe are still weighed down by weak demand and overcapacity. As Malaysia is an open economy, a meaningful recovery needs to have the participation of the US and Europe," he said.
  
  Zulkifli said while Asia has the capacity to drive demand, probably until the end of the year, the momentum must be supported by the Western economies. Otherwise, the recovery would not be sustainable.

For sure things are not at the doomsday level but things really aren't rosy at all.

Yes, one can bet on the recovery. For sure it's one logical bet. Worth the justification.

But... but.... butttt..... look at them stocks now.

Ask yourself the logical question........ :D