It depends on how long-lasting are the goods. If you import a lot of gold but export less food, then you will get richer and richer over time. If you do the opp

It depends on how long-lasting are the goods. If you import a lot of gold but export less food, then you will get richer and richer over time. If you do the opposite, export gold and import food, then you'll get poorer and poorer, even if you have trade surplus.