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Market Outlook: China trade surplus soars

As imports shrink
January 14, 2019

In the last month of 2018 China’s trade surplus rose to 395 billion yuan from 306 billion in November. Though exports fell 4.4 per cent, imports fell by 7.6 per cent annualised in the month to December. Both these figures were a lot lower than the market had expected and shows how sensitive China trade is to the sanctions imposed on the 1st of this month. For the year as a whole, the surplus with the US set a new record high of $323 billion as US importers front-loaded orders ahead of the imposition of sanctions.

Yesterday Greek defence minister Panos Kammenos resigned over the dispute with the name of neighbouring country Macedonia. He took with him another six MPs of his right-wing Independent Greeks party, which PM Alexis Tsipras depended on for his parliamentary majority. He in turn said he would call a confidence vote in his government, probably this week.

DAX 30

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