Decline in exports causes trade surplus to fall 11%

IRELAND’s trade surplus fell by 11% in October due to a 4% fall in exports as the value of imports increased by a similar level.

The latest preliminary external trade data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show seasonally adjusted exports fell by 4% in October to a value of €7.65 billion; import value was up by 3% to just over €3.9bn.

That movement led to a drop in the monthly trade surplus from €4.2bn in September to €3.7bn in October. Unadjusted, October’s export value was unchanged at €7.52bn, while import value rose 7% to €3.9bn.