Indonesian Trade Surplus Shrinks In March

(RTTNews) - Indonesia's foreign trade surplus decreased in March from a year ago as imports grew faster than exports, figures from Statistics Indonesia showed on Monday.

The trade surplus dropped to $4.33 billion in March from $4.58 billion in the same month last year. In February, the surplus was $3.12 billion. Economists had expected a $2.64 billion surplus.

Exports rose 3.16 percent year-over-year in March, while imports climbed by 5.34 percent.

On a monthly basis, exports showed a growth of 5.95 percent, while imports increased only by 0.38 percent.

Oil and gas imports in March were 9.07 percent higher compared to February but down 5.98 percent from last year, the agency said.