WASHINGTON: California exports continued to slide downward in April, dented by a relatively strong dollar and sluggish economic conditions abroad. Golden State businesses shipped merchandise valued at $12.84 billion, down nearly 11 percent from $14.39 billion in same month last year, according to an analysis of Friday’s U.S. Commerce Department figures by Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with Bay Area and Los Angeles offices. State exports of manufactured goods in April totaled $8.43 billion, down 10.6 percent from $9.43 billion last year.
Exports of non-manufactured goods – chiefly agricultural products and raw materials – were off almost 19 percent, $1.43 billion compared with $1.76 billion in April 2015. Re-exports declined 7.2 percent, to about $2.98 billion from $3.2 billion.
