This August 2015 issue of Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS) Quarterly provide, for about 160 countries, tables with current data (or estimates) on the value of imports from and exports to their most important trading partners. The quarterly issues, yearbook, and CD-ROM of the DOTS present, for most member countries of the IMF, current figures on the value of merchandise exports and imports disaggregated according to their most important trading partners. Estimation occurs if a reporting country does not report trade with its partners for a specific period. Data are estimated for all partners and not for some of the partners. In the absence of some or all the monthly DOTS, quarterly or annual reported DOTS are used. When information is not reported and is inadequate to support the estimation techniques, the data are extrapolated using a matrix of trade among broad country groups.

This paper presents the quarterly issue of the IMF’s Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS). The term “country,” as used in this publication, does not in all cases refer to a territorial entity that is a state as understood by international law and practice; the term also covers some non-sovereign territorial entities, for which statistical data are maintained and provided internationally on a separate and independent basis. The information on exports and imports by trading partners that countries report to the Fund varies in terms of frequency and currentness. No estimates, however, are compiled for periods prior to 1981 or based on benchmark data referring to 1980 or earlier. Moreover, data reported from countries’ own records, even with longer delays, continually broaden the base of reported data, thereby replacing previously estimated figures. Area and world totals are compiled from reported data and these estimates.

This September issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. Official BPM6 Basis Data Availability table is now included in the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Statistics section of the Introduction. Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook contains two sections; World and Regional Tables, and Country Tables. The first section presents 21 world and regional tables for major components of the balance of payments, net International Investment Position (IIP), and total financial assets and total liabilities for the IIP. The second section provides detailed tables on balance-of-payments statistics for 189 economies and IIP data for 143 economies.

This November 2015 issue of International Financial Statistics is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. This annual publication provides detailed data on transactions in revenue, expense, net acquisition of assets and liabilities, other economic flows, and balances of assets and liabilities of general government and its subsectors. The data are compiled according to the framework of the 2014 Government Finance Statistics Manual, which provides for several summary measures of government fiscal performance. The country tables, euro area tables, and world tables provide measures of effective exchange rates, compiled by the IMF’s Research Department, Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, Statistics Department, and area departments. The General Resources Account (GRA) resources consist of the currencies of Fund member countries, SDRs, and gold. Borrowings are regarded as a temporary source of funds. In order to supplement its quota resources, the IMF has the authority to borrow the currency of any member from any source with the consent of the issuer.

This December 2015 issue of International Financial Statistics is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. The monthly printed issue of IFS reports current monthly, quarterly, and annual data, while the yearbook reports 12 observations of annual data. Most annual data on the CD-ROM and Internet begin in 1948; quarterly and monthly data generally begin in 1957; most balance-of-payments data begin in 1970. A nominal effective exchange rate index represents the ratio of an index of a currency’s period-average exchange rate to a weighted geometric average of exchange rates for the currencies of selected countries and the euro area. When a country joins the IMF, it is assigned a quota that fits into the structure of existing quotas. Quotas are considered in the light of the member’s economic characteristics and considering quotas of similar countries.

This monthly issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. Information is presented in tables for specific countries and in tables for area and world aggregates. Quarterly issues of this publication provide, for 160 countries, tables with current data (or estimates) on the value of imports from and exports to their most important trading partners. In addition, similar summary tables for the world, industrial countries, and developing countries are included. The yearbook provides, for the most recent seven years, detailed trade data by country for approximately 184 countries, the world, and major areas. This annual publication provides detailed data on transactions in revenue, expense, net acquisition of assets and liabilities, other economic flows, and balances of assets and liabilities of general government and its subsectors. The data are compiled according to the framework of the 2001 Government Finance Statistics Manual, which provides for several summary measures of government fiscal performance. In IFS, exchange rates are expressed in time series of national currency units per SDR and national currency units per US dollar, or vice versa.

This July 2015 issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. This issue contains country pages for Marshall Islands, Palau, and Tuvalu. IFS contain country tables for most IMF members, as well as for Anguilla, Aruba, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, Curaçao, the currency union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, the euro area, Montserrat, the former Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten, the West African Economic Monetary Union, West Bank and Gaza, and some non-sovereign territorial entities for which statistics are provided internationally on a separate basis. Also, selected series are drawn from the country tables and published in area and world tables. The country tables normally include data on a country’s exchange rates, IMF position, international liquidity, monetary statistics, interest rates, prices, production, labor, international transactions, government accounts, national accounts, and population. Selected series, including data on Fund accounts, international reserves, and international trade, are drawn from the country tables and published in world tables as well.

International Financial Statistics, November 2016

The December 2016 issue of International Financial Statistics (IFS) is a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. This issue presents countries newly reporting monetary data for Norway using the standardized report forms. In this issue, the following changes have been made: Changes to the group aggregates aligned with those published in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO): (1) Move of China, P. R.: Macao (546) out of Emerging and Developing Asia (505) to Advanced Economies (110); (2) Move of Bolivia (218) and Colombia (233) out of Export Earnings: Nonfuel economies (092) to Export Earnings: Fuel economies (080). Removal of China, P. R.: Macao (546), Latvia (941), and Lithuania (946) out of Export Earnings: Nonfuel economies (092). For countries where multiple exchange rates are in effect, Fund staff estimates of weighted average exchange rates are used in many cases.