November 09, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 27, 1428

BERLIN, Nov 8: Germany’s trade surplus widened 28 per cent in September from August, the statistics office said on Thursday, highlighting a trend that is an exception in the eurozone.

The German surplus came to 18.4 billion euros ($26.5 billion) in September, when the value of exports rose while that of imports was stable compared to August.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial News had foreseen a surplus of 15.1 billion euros.

The current account, a broader measure of trade that includes certain financial transactions, showed a surplus of 15.4 billion euros after 8.8 billion in August.

Analyst Sylvain Broyer of Ixis-Cib said that over the third quarter the trade surplus should add 0.2 points to German gross domestic product after having had a neutral effect in the previous two quarters.

But he said such a trend “will probably remain an exception,” as elsewhere in the 13-nation eurozone exports to emerging market countries in Asia and central Europe are slowing. —AFP