BRATISLAVA, August 9, (WEBNOVINY) — Slovakia’s foreign trade surplus continues to show significant growth when it was higher after six months than the figure for the whole last year. Trade in 2011 achieved a record-high surplus of EUR 2.442 billion. According to preliminary data of the Statistics Office foreign trade surplus achieved EUR 2.466 billion over H1 2012, up EUR 1.521 billion y/y. In June alone the trade surplus hit the record-breaking EUR 546.6 million. The May surplus was EUR 12.5 million lower.
Overall exports of goods in the sixth month soared in yearly terms by 10.2 percent to EUR 5.273 billion. Following a moderate y./y drop from May, imports already grew again by 2.8 percent to EUR 4.727 billion. Within six months exports of goods from Slovakia surged 9.9 percent in yearly terms to EUR 30.396 billion and overall imports went up 4.5 percent to EUR 27.93 billion.
Following a period of trade deficit mainly resulting from the economic crisis, Slovakia returned to a surplus in its trade balance. Over the past three years, foreign trade resulted in a monthly deficit only four times and has reported a cumulative annual surplus since 2009. Slovakia had a record trade surplus last year, when exports exceeded imports by more than 2.4 billion euros.
SITA
