Eurozone imports register sharp rise in October

The euro area's trade surplus with the rest of the world fell in October amid a very large jump in purchases from overseas.

Imports rocketed 2.9% month-on-month to reach €149.0bn in seasonally adjusted terms, while exports slipped by 0.3% to €168.7bn.

Combined, that saw the surplus shrink from €24.4bn to €19.7bn, Eurostat said.

France, Italy and Spain all saw their respective surpluses retreat.

Among the bloc's four largest economies, from one month to the next imports rose the most in Spain, increasing by 10.0%, while in Italy they were up by 4.2% and in Germany by another 4.6%. Imports in France on the other hand rose by only 0.6%.