Ireland’s trade surplus sets record

IRELAND achieved its highest annual trade surplus on record in 2009 and is tipped to see a furtherincrease in the current year.

Latest external trade figures from the CSO, published yesterday, showed a seasonally adjusted trade surplus of €2.72 billion for December, which brought the overall surplus for 2009 to just under €38.9bn.

This was more than €10bn, or nearly 35%, higher than the surplus reached in 2008 and is the highest annual Irish trade surplus ever recorded by the CSO. December’s unadjusted trade surplus amounted to €2.42bn, which was actually €182 million less than the amount reached in the same month the previous year.