ROME: Italy’s foreign trade surplus increased in March from a year ago, as imports fell faster than exports, figures from the statistical office Istat showed Tuesday. The trade surplus rose to EUR 5.4 billion in March from EUR 3.8 billion in the corresponding month last year. In February, the surplus was EUR 3.86 billion.
Exports dropped 1.1 percent year-over-year in March and imports declined by 5.9 percent. Shipments to EU countries grew 2.3 percent annually in March, while those to non-EU countries slid by 5.2 percent. On a monthly basis, both exports and imports fell by 1.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively in March. The statistical office also announced that import prices decreased 6.3 percent yearly in March, while it increased 0.5 percent from the preceding month.
