Portugal Jan-Oct current account surplus more than doubles

22 Dec, 2014

LISBON: Portugal's current account surplus more than doubled to just over 1.4 billion euros ($1.72 billion) in the first ten months of this year, even as its overall trade surplus shrank 21 percent, the Bank of Portugal said on Monday.

Portugal, which exited an international bailout in May, turned out a surplus of nearly 2.45 billion euros in the combined balance of trade in goods and services in the period, but that was lower than a year ago as the goods-only deficit increased by about 15 percent, the data showed.

The surplus in services increased by almost 3 percent.

Portugal in 2013 posted its first full-year current account surplus in two decades. But export growth has slowed since, while imports grew amid an economic recovery. Portugal's economy is expected to grow this year after three straight years of recession.

Copyright Reuters, 2014

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