Peru: Trade surplus almost vanishes in August on plunging exports
Peru’s trade balance recorded a USD 99 million surplus in August, smaller than July’s USD 538 million surplus and the USD 210 million surplus recorded in the same month last year.
Exports plunged 8.1% year-on-year in August (July: -0.7% year-on-year), weighed down by diving foreign sales of fishing products and of oil and natural gas, as well as by lower exports of agricultural products. Meanwhile, imports fell 5.7% annually in August, a sharper contraction than July’s 0.2% dip, dragged down by lower purchases of intermediate goods.
In the 12 months leading up to August, the trade surplus was USD 5.5 billion, below July’s USD 5.7 billion surplus and the lowest reading in two years.