Trade surplus boost as exports rise

Ireland’s trade surplus widened in September as exports continued to climb, new figures indicate.

The data from the Central Statistics Office showed seasonally adjusted exports rising by 2 per cent to €7.9 billion for the month, with imports declining to €3.8 billion, a 5 per cent fall. This led to an 11 per cent rise in the trade surplus for the month.

On an unadjusted basis, the value of exports in September rose by 3 per cent compared to a year earlier, while imports fell by 3 per cent.

In the first eight months of the year, exports rose 4 per cent to €61.2 billion compared to a year earlier.