China trade balance
China’s exports minus imports.
The basics
This shows how much China sold abroad and bought from abroad. Exports show world demand for Chinese goods; imports show China’s own demand for oil, metals and food.
How to read the result
- Above the forecast
- Strong exports and imports often support the Australian dollar, copper and oil.
- Below the forecast
- Weak figures often weigh on the Australian dollar, copper and oil.
Going deeper
Import volumes of crude oil, iron ore and copper, released the same day, are watched by commodity traders more than the headline balance.
FAQs
- Why can the price move the “wrong” way?
- Prices already reflect the forecast, so markets react to the surprise, not the number itself. Other parts of the same release, revisions to earlier months or other news in the same hour can outweigh the headline figure, and a first move often reverses within the hour.
- Should I close my trade before the release?
- That is your decision; this page does not give advice. What is certain is that prices can jump in seconds around big releases, spreads widen, and a stop loss can close at a worse price than the one you set. Many traders check their position size and stop before the release.