Australia reported a merchandise trade surplus of AUD 10.959 billion in December, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced on Monday.
The actual figures exceeded forecasts, which predicted a surplus of AUD 10.510 billion. The surplus for November was also revised upward to AUD 11.764 billion from its original AUD 11.437 billion.
In terms of exports, there was an increase of AUD 847 million or 1.8 percent month-on-month, bringing the total to AUD 47.125 billion. This followed a 1.7 percent increase in the previous month.
Breaking down the export category, general merchandise saw a rise of 0.8 percent, both rural and non-rural goods experienced a 0.5 percent increase, and non-monetary gold surged by 20.2 percent.
On the other hand, imports also saw an uptick, with an increase of AUD 1.652 billion or 4.8 percent month-on-month, reaching AUD 36.165 billion compared to the previous month.
