Chile posts August trade surplus of $904mn; copper shipments dip
- The world's largest copper producer also saw the value of shipments of the red metal fall 13.2% year-on-year in August to $2.761 billion.
- The country's total monthly exports fell 10.8% year-on-year to $5.421 billion, while imports fell 22.4% to $4.517 billion.
SANTIAGO: Chile posted a trade surplus of $904 million in August, the central bank said on Monday, with an drop in levels versus a year earlier of both exports and imports for the month.
The world's largest copper producer also saw the value of shipments of the red metal fall 13.2% year-on-year in August to $2.761 billion, hit by a dip in production and low prices.
Chile's copper industry has largely escaped major impact from the coronavirus pandemic, although miners have had to limit on-site personnel and temporarily halt some long-term projects and the country's wider economy has suffered.
The country's total monthly exports fell 10.8% year-on-year to $5.421 billion, while imports fell 22.4% to $4.517 billion.
Chile's central bank has estimated the economy will contract 4.5%-5.5% this year due to the impact of the pandemic, although it has said that the country has already overcome the hardest months and is showing some signs of recovery.