Step 1: Understanding the Question:
Export trade means the goods and services a country sells to other countries. India's export trade has certain well recognised features that show up in trade statistics.
Step 2: First characteristic.
India's exports are dominated by a mix of engineering goods, petroleum products, gems and jewellery, chemicals and agricultural products, so no single item accounts for most of the trade. This shows a diversified export basket.
Step 3: Second characteristic.
Services, especially software, IT and business process outsourcing, form a large and fast growing share of India's export earnings alongside merchandise goods.
Final Answer:
Two characteristics of India's export trade are a diversified basket of goods and a large, growing share of services exports.\[ \boxed{\text{Diversified exports; rising share of services}} \]