BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The euro zone’s trade deficit nearly doubled in April from a month earlier, following an already record rise in March, while industrial production rose over the same period, official data released by the Eurozone showed. statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Wednesday.
According to Eurostat, the 19 countries sharing the euro recorded a trade deficit, not seasonally adjusted, of 32.4 billion euros in April, compared to a deficit of 16.4 billion euros in March. In April 2021, a surplus of 14.9 billion euros had been recorded.
Adjusted for seasonal variations, the euro zone’s trade deficit was 31.7 billion euros.
Industrial production in the 19 member countries also increased by 0.4% month on month, but fell by 2.0% year on year.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a monthly rise of 0.5% and an annual fall of 1.1%.
Compared to March, energy production increased the most in April (5.4%), followed by intermediate goods (0.7%), non-durable consumer goods (0.4%) and durable consumer goods (0.2%), while the production of capital goods fell by 0.2%.
Year-on-year, capital goods fell 9% in April and intermediate goods 0.3%, while energy production rose 1.5%, consumer non-durables 4, 7% and durable consumer goods 5.7%.
(Report Charlotte Van Campenhout, French version Augustin Turpin, edited by Kate Entringer)
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