Mass. exports on record pace

Massachusetts firms exported merchandise at a record pace through the first four months of the year, according to the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research. Exports rose nearly 9 percent from the same period in 2006, a record year for the state.

Through April, Massachusetts companies sold $8.1 billion in goods in foreign markets, compared to $7.5 billion last year, according to WISER, a nonprofit research group at Holyoke Community College. Massachusetts firms exported a record $24 billion in all of 2006.

Two of the state's key products -- technology and pharmaceuticals -- remain in demand. Exports of pharmaceutical products rose 37 percent from a year ago, according to WISER. Exports of industrial machinery, which includes computers and other high tech equipment, rose 21 percent.
(By Robert Gavin, Globe staff)