Exports of goods from the Netherlands were 11% lower than in the same period last year, with shipments of vehicles and machinery producing the biggest declines. At the same time, the 8 percent collapse in imports was the largest since October 2009. The decline in exports of Dutch manufactured goods was greater than re-exports, according to the country’s statistics office. Just as worrying is the fact that market observers expect exports to fall even further in June, primarily due to the drastic fall in German industrial production and the fact that both Dutch and European entrepreneurs are more negative about their position abroad.
