exports

Madrid reverses decision to cancel sale of 400 laser-guided bombs arguing it had to "honor a contract"

Chemical, automobile and equipment sectors driving most of the sales

Sales from Catalonia abroad reached 6,273 million euros, representing 24.8% of the total of the State

Figures for Catalan sales abroad during first quarter up 4.5% compared to last year

Value of 18,236 million euros of goods sold abroad

Growing sales abroad is a continuing trend in Catalonia, now reaching 25.4% of Spain's total amount

Historic 5.8 billion euros of goods sold abroad throughout month, 9% more same period in 2016

Catalan sales abroad rose to €70bn in 2017, an 8.7% yearly increase

Companies sell goods abroad for the value of €65,374 billion from January to November, 8.9% more than the previous year

Export sales reach just over 6 billion euros, an increase of 5.68% compared to same month last year

Sales abroad of this kind of products increase by 2.7% boosted by transactions to EU countries

Overseas Catalan sales account for more than 25% of Spanish total

Catalonia leads on sales abroad, doubling Madrid, which came in second in the ranking

Catalan exports reached €17.6 billion during the first quarter of 2017, a 13.6% increase in comparison to the same period last year. The figures, published by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, are the best in the entire historic series. The exports in Catalonia between January and March 2017 represent 25.3% of the entire amount in Spain. In terms of imports, Catalonia saw in the first quarter an increase of 13.5% year-on-year, to €21.5 billion euros. The Catalan trade deficit was €3.9 billion, 13.5% more than the first quarter of 2016. The main exporting sectors were chemical products, which increased by 10.5% reaching €4.6 billion; manufacturing equipment, with an increase of 6.7% (€3.1 billion); and the automobile sector, which grew by 14% to €2.9 billion. The chemical products (14.5%, €3.9 billion) and automobile sector (8.8%, €3.3 billion) also contributed to the increase in imports.

Foreign investment in Catalonia throughout 2016 totaled €4.8billion, 1.3% less than in 2015. Indeed, 2015 had set a historic record in terms of foreign investment, registering a 57.8% growth in comparison to the previous year. Despite this slight decrease, 2016 represents the second best year in the historic series, according to data published this Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry for Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Moreover, Catalonia ranks second in terms of foreign investment in Spain, Accounting for 20% of the investment and only surpassed by Madrid, which attracts 46.7% of foreign capital. Regarding Catalan exports, they totaled €5.3 billion in January, the highest figure for this month since 2000. This data confirms Catalonia as the leading territory in Spain in terms of exports followed by Andalusia, whose exports totaled €2.5 billion.