Russia: Merchandise exports gain steam in April
Merchandise exports shot up 47.6% year-on-year in April (March: +19.0% year-on-year). April’s result marked the sturdiest outturn since January 2017. Meanwhile, merchandise imports jumped 49.4% over the same month last year in April (March: +25.0% yoy), marking the best result since August 2010.
As a result, the merchandise trade balance improved from the previous month, recording a USD 10.6 billion surplus in April (March 2021: USD 10.0 billion surplus; April 2020: USD 7.4 billion surplus). Lastly, the trend also improved, with the 12-month trailing merchandise trade balance recording a USD 89.6 billion surplus in April, compared to the USD 86.4 billion surplus in March.