Merchandise trade API

Retrieve exports, imports, and the exact merchandise-trade balance for one period.

economics_get_trade is available through REST and the economics_get_trade MCP tool. Both return the same data shape and consume the same monthly quota.

Endpoint and request

REST endpoint

GET /v1/economics/{country}/trade

Example request

curl --request GET \
  --url "https://api.narwhalapi.com/v1/economics/USA/trade?period=2026-06" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $NARWHAL_API_KEY"

MCP uses tool economics_get_trade with the corresponding arguments below.

Parameters

The accepted period format for this operation is YYYY or YYYY-MM.

Name	Required	Type	Meaning
`country`	Yes	path · ISO alpha-3	One supported uppercase country code: AUS, CAN, DEU, FRA, GBR, JPN, MYS, SGP, and USA.
`period`	No	query · YYYY or YYYY-MM	Omit it for the latest accepted complete release, or pass one exact period.

Response

Example response

{
  "country": "USA",
  "period": "2026-06",
  "exports": "189000000000",
  "imports": "275000000000",
  "balance": "-86000000000",
  "currency": "USD",
  "coverage": "merchandise",
  "released_on": "2026-08-04"
}

Field	Type	Required	Meaning
`country`	string	Yes	The requested uppercase ISO alpha-3 country code.
`period`	string	Yes	The official observation period returned.
`exports`	non-negative decimal string	Yes	Total merchandise exports.
`imports`	non-negative decimal string	Yes	Total merchandise imports.
`balance`	decimal string	Yes	Exact exports minus imports; it may be negative.
`currency`	ISO 4217 string	Yes	The currency for all three monetary values.
`coverage`	"merchandise"	Yes	Confirms that services trade is not included.
`released_on`	date	Yes	The official publication date, not Narwhal's retrieval time.

Errors and quota

400 invalid_query — the country, period, or filter format is invalid.
401 invalid_api_key — the Bearer key is missing or rejected.
404 series_not_found — no complete approved publication matches the request.
429 quota_exhausted — the account has reached its monthly allowance.
503 economics_unavailable — Narwhal cannot safely serve an accepted publication.

Only a successful data response consumes quota. See all errors, headers, and retry rules.

Freshness

Omitting period returns Narwhal's latest stored accepted release. The API call reads Narwhal's database; it does not call the official publisher live.

released_on is the official publication date. Read how source checks, validation, stored releases, and failed checks work.

Current public-beta coverage

National merchandise totals are public for AUS, CAN, DEU, FRA, GBR, JPN, MYS, SGP, and USA. Services trade is not included.

Indonesia, regional routes, Commodities, and FX are not part of the public beta.

Return to all Economics operations.