Eurozone Trade Surplus At 6-Month High

(RTTNews) - The euro area trade surplus increased sharply to a six-month high in September, official data revealed Friday.

The trade balance registered a surplus of EUR 19.4 billion in September. This was well above EUR 1.9 billion surplus in August. This was the biggest level since March.

In the same period last year, the surplus totaled EUR 12.9 billion.

Exports of goods advanced 7.7 percent year-on-year, reversing a 4.6 percent fall in August. Likewise, imports were up 5.3 percent, in contrast to the 4.2 percent drop in August.

During January to September, the euro area trade surplus declined to EUR 128.7 billion from EUR 134.3 billion in the same period last year. Exports rose 3.1 percent and imports climbed 3.6 percent.

The trade surplus of the EU also increased significantly in September. The surplus advanced to EUR 16.3 billion from EUR 9.5 billion in the prior year.