Frequently Asked Questions

To begin the registration process, select the Go to MAGIC link, located in the upper right corner of the MAGIC website, or access the system directly through this link. Then follow the instructions to register as a new user. You are advised to keep the answer to your secret question, as it will be needed to recover your password if you forget it.

As part of ECLAC’s efforts to provide tools for foreign trade analysis, access to MAGIC is free of charge. You only need to register. To begin the registration process, select the Go to MAGIC link, located in the upper right corner of the MAGIC website, or access the system directly through this link.

Yes. Since the new MAGIC platform has been fully renewed, you need to register again. To begin the registration process, select the Go to MAGIC link, located in the upper right corner of the MAGIC website, or access the system directly through this link.

The username and password are sent automatically by MAGIC. If you did not receive the message, we recommend that you:

• check whether the email was delivered to your junk or spam folder;

• request a new account, since, if the email address was entered incorrectly, MAGIC will not be able to send your login details.

If MAGIC does not allow you to create a new account with that email address, please contact us at magic@cepal.org.

To recover your login details, select the Go to MAGIC link, located in the upper right corner of the MAGIC website, and then click Forgot your password?. Follow the system instructions. The answer to your secret question is required to recover your password.

If you forgot your password and also the answer to your secret question, please contact us at magic@cepal.org for assistance.

No. MAGIC works with any web browser, including on tablets and mobile phones. However, for better performance, it is recommended to use the latest versions of Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Yes. MAGIC works on any operating system with a web browser installed. For better performance, it is also recommended to have a good internet connection.

MAGIC reports the value and volume of imports and exports of Central American countries, Mexico, the United States and the countries of the European Union. Based on this information, it allows users to generate bilateral trade profiles and export competitiveness analyses. It also provides information on modes of transport for selected markets and on tariffs applicable in the United States market.

MAGIC draws on three main sources of information:

• the United States Census Bureau, for the United States market;

• the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), for Central American countries;

• the United Nations Comtrade database (UN Comtrade), for Mexico and the countries of the European Union.

MAGIC data are annual. Information is available from 1990 for the United States, Mexico and some countries of the European Union, and from 1994 for Central American countries.

MAGIC information is updated throughout the year, depending on data availability. In general, United States trade data are uploaded during the second quarter; SIECA data, towards the end of the second quarter; and UN Comtrade data, throughout the year, depending on the availability of information from each reporting country.

In the Support materials - User manual and reference material section, you can access an interactive table showing the years for which information is available by country for trade in goods and transport mode data. You can also access that table directly here.

Goods are classified according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System, HS), at 2-, 4- and 6-digit levels of disaggregation, and up to 10 digits for the United States market.

Yes. The system allows users to download data in CSV format and save charts as images.

Yes. MAGIC allows users to create custom groups of countries or products. Please note that the information reported will correspond to the aggregate total of the group, not to the individual data for each country or product included in it.

In the Support materials section of the MAGIC website, you can access resources for training in the use and interpretation of the tool. In particular, you can download the user manual, consult the multimedia and explanatory material on MAGIC concepts, and review the available training options. To request a course or videoconference session for your institution, you can complete the form available in the training section.

Yes. When you subscribe to MAGIC, you can choose to receive news and updates about the tool by email. You may unsubscribe at any time by sending a message to magic@cepal.org.

This message may appear when the session or information stored in the browser is outdated. To resolve it, sign out, clear your browser cache and browsing history, and access MAGIC again. If the problem persists, please contact us at magic@cepal.org.

This message may appear when MAGIC has not yet updated the results of the initial query or when no data are available for the selected parameters. We recommend running the query again to verify the result. If the message persists, please contact us at magic@cepal.org so we can review the case.

Some MAGIC sections and tools with additional information are displayed in pop-up windows. To view them, make sure your browser allows pop-ups for MAGIC. If pop-ups are blocked, enable that permission for the MAGIC site and try opening the corresponding icon or link again.

In the Trade profile by product and Trade charges by product modules of MAGIC, the system is configured to first select the product for which information will be queried. Therefore, if the years are selected before the product, the system may reset that selection. To create a query in these modules, it is recommended to select first the reporting country, then the product and, finally, the years of the query.

The trade figures shown in MAGIC may differ from those published by other official sources for several reasons:

• For the United States, import figures refer to imports for consumption and do not include CIF values.

• United States export and import data correspond to the first figures published by the Census Bureau and are not subsequently updated in MAGIC.

• Data from UN Comtrade and SIECA are updated periodically, when information becomes available, and correspond to the figures reported by countries to those institutions. For this reason, they may not match figures published by central banks or other national institutions responsible for trade statistics.

For these reasons, MAGIC is recommended for analysing trends and competitiveness in international trade in goods, rather than for reporting exact official trade figures.