Eurozone trade surplus unexpectedly shrinks
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The Eurozone's trade surplus unexpectedly shrank in May, falling to its lowest level in four months, according to figures released on Tuesday by Eurostat.
The single-currency region saw a trade balance of €13.9bn in May, following a downwardly revised €14.2bn surplus in April (initial estimate: €15bn).
This was the lowest level since January and well below the €17.1bn surplus expected by economists. Nevertheless, it compared with a trade deficit of €0.4bn in May 2023.
The Eurozone exported €241.5bn of goods to the rest of the world in May, down 0.5% on the year before, while imports fell 6.4% year-on-year to €227.6bn.
Meanwhile, the wider European Union reported a trade surplus of €9.7bn for the month, compared with a deficit of €2.6bn a year earlier.