15.10.202113:07:00UTC+00Eurozone August Trade Surplus Falls

Eurozone visible trade surplus for August decreased from a year ago, defying expectations for an improvement, preliminary data from Eurostat showed Friday.

The goods trade surplus in August was EUR 4.8 billion versus EUR 14.0 billion in the same period last year. Economists had forecast a surplus of EUR 16.1 billion.

Exports rose 18.2 percent year-on-year and imports grew 26.6 percent.

In the January to August period, the trade surplus was EUR 126.9 billion versus EUR 126.8 billion in the same period last year. Exports grew 15.2 percent and imports rose 16.8 percent.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, euro area trade balance was EUR 11.1 billion compared to EUR 13.5 billion in July. Exports rose 0.3 percent and imports increased 1.6 percent from the previous month.