The euro area trade surplus increased in November as exports advanced amid falling imports, Eurostat reported Monday.
The trade surplus rose to a seasonally adjusted EUR 14.8 billion in November from EUR 11.1 billion in October.
Month-on-month, exports registered an increase of 1.0 percent, while imports dropped 0.6 percent in November.
On an unadjusted basis, the trade balance posted a surplus of EUR 20.3 billion, in contrast to the EUR 13.8 billion shortfall posted in the same period last year. This was well above economists' forecast of EUR 11.2 billion.
Exports decreased 4.7 percent from the last year. At the same time, imports logged a double-digit decline of 16.7 percent.
