Indonesia February Trade Surplus at US$ 5.48 Billion, Beats Forecast

TRADE BALANCE - JAKARTA. Indonesia reported a larger than forecast trade balance in February at US$ 5.48 billion, boosted by an unexpected drop in imports, data from the country's statistics bureau showed on Wednesday.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a $3.27 billion trade surplus.

Exports in February rose 4.51% annually to $21.40 billion, slightly lower than a 5.00% growth expected by analysts and after a 16.37% increase in January.

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Imports fell by 4.32% annually to $15.92 billion due to a drop in purchases of raw materials, Statistics Indonesia said. A Reuters poll had forecast a 9.74% increase in shipments.