EX-IM BANK SAYS U.S. EXPORTED $186 MILLION GOODS AND SERVICES IN FEBRUARY

FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
U.S. Exports Total $186 Billion in February;
Exports During Past Year Hit $2.2 Trillion

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States exported $186.0 billion of goods and services in February 2013, an increase from January’s exports of $184.4 billion, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department.

"The many successful small- and mid-sized businesses attending last week’s Ex-Im annual conference demonstrated that growing sales and profits in today’s global economy is possible by selling to the 95 percent of the world’s customers located outside the United States", said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. "Export growth remains a vital component of the nation’s economic recovery, and Ex-Im will continue to provide export credit support to American entrepreneurs as they expand their reach to buyers outside our borders."

Hochberg noted that during the first six months of FY 2013 Ex-Im Bank export credit authorizations were strong, amounting to $14.8 billion, supporting over 100,000 U.S. jobs and exceeding the Bank’s authorizations in all of 2008.

U.S. exports of goods and services over the last twelve months totaled $2.2 trillion, which is 39.7 percent above the level of exports in 2009. Over the last twelve months, exports have been growing at an annualized rate of 11.1 percent when compared to 2009.

Over the last twelve months, among the major export markets (i.e., markets with at least $6 billion in annual imports of U.S. goods), the countries with the largest annualized increase in U.S. goods purchases, when compared to 2009, occurred in Panama (31.8 percent), Russia (25.1 percent), Chile (24.4 percent), United Arab Emirates (23.6 percent), Peru (23.4 percent), Venezuela (22.5 percent), Argentina (21.9 percent), Hong Kong (20.6 percent), Colombia (20.7 percent), and Turkey (20.3 percent).