Out of California

Despite a decline in the first quarter, California exports increased 2.1%, or $1.1 billion, for the first six months of this year. The state’s exports in this period totaled about $53 billion, nearly $13 billion more than Texas, the nation’s second-largest exporting state. Exports to Mexico and Hong Kong were up markedly because of expanding economies in those countries. Exports to Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia dropped because of weak corporate and consumer demand--a result of economic problems in those areas. Leading California export markets for the first half of the year, compared with the same period last year, in billions of dollars:

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First six months First six months of 1997 of 1996 Japan: $8.99 $9.87 Canada: $5.73 $5.55 Mexico: $5.24 $4.19 South Korea: $3.76 $4.59 Taiwan: $3.06 $2.65 Singapore: $2.79 $3.12 Britain: $2.57 $2.47 Hong Kong: $2.05 $1.71 Germany: $2.00 $1.98 Malaysia: $1.35 $1.85

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Source: Massachusetts Institute of Social and Economic Research, California Department of Trade and Commerce

Researched by JENNIFER OLDHAM / Los Angeles Times