Irish trade surplus soars by 65% at start of year

A surplus of £1.2 billion was recorded in the January 1999 trade figures, according to the Central Statistics Office.

The surplus represents an increase of 65 per cent over January, 1998 and indications for February suggest there was a surplus of almost £1.3 billion. Markets which showed strong growth include the US, Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Malaysia.