South Africa's Trade Balance Returns to a Surplus in March
- Surplus follows deficits for the first two months of 2018
- Economists estimated a surplus of 3.8 billion rand in March
Photographer: Kevin Sutherland/Bloomberg
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South Africa’s trade balance returned to a surplus in March as exports of metals and vegetables climbed, while imports of minerals products declined.
The 9.5 billion-rand ($764 million) surplus compares with February’s revised deficit of 600 million-rand and a record 27 billion rand shortfall in January, the Pretoria-based South African Revenue Service said in an emailed statement Monday. The median estimate of five economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 3.8 billion-rand surplus. The positive balance was 11.5 billion rand a year earlier.