/ 29 July 2011

SA records R4.9bln trade surplus in June

South Africa had a R4.9-billion trade surplus in June after recording a R1-billion shortfall in May, the South African Revenue Service said on Friday.

The improvement in the trade account was “buoyed by higher commodity exports, specifically for precious and semi-precious stones and metals”, Sars said in a statement.

Exports rose by 7.5% month-on-month in June while imports were down 2.9%.

Economists surveyed by Reuters expected the trade account to register a R1-billion surplus in June. — Reuters