5/4/2014: Russian Exports v Imports: composition and technological content

Another interesting chart showing the relative position for Russia in terms of technological intensity of the country exports and imports:

The core point here is that Russian exports-imports gap on technology side is not as large as one would have expected, but this is not due to higher intensity of exports. Instead, the apparently relatively benign (relatively is being used very very generously here) is down to quite low technological intensity of imports. 

This shows two things:

1) Highlighting the desperate need for massive technological upscaling of the Russian economy, and

2) Highlighting the desperate need for a (separately) massive diversification of Russian exports.

Note: the above is via BBVA Research