| Aries | Monday, June 20, 2016 - 10:13 pm 
To be honest, the balance of imports and exports is not very useful as a tool to gauge the success of your policies or the power of your economy. First, the export number does not count trade relating to enterprise-controlled corporations in your country. Second, the export and import number does include purchases and sales made by your country.
The more important number is located at the bottom of that page, in my opinion. The total "Production Value" includes all corporations located in your country and has nothing to do with sales or purchases that your country happened to make that game month. It is pretty much your country's monthly GDP.
To improve your production, ensure that the vast majority of your corporations are producing and selling products that are priced at the maximum market price (based on these products always being in shortage). Increasing your welfare index and paying a higher salary increases the quantity of products produced and leads to a higher value of production. Corporation quality upgrades and purchasing higher quality supplies (about 215 seems ideal for upgraded corps) ensures each product is sold for more. Corporation effectivity upgrades allow fewer workers to staff each corp and returning housewives and disabled to the workforce increases your worker pool, allowing you to staff more corps.
All of these things will increase your production and the total value of products your country brings to market. |
