Eurozone October trade surplus edges higher: Eurostat

(BRUSSELS) - The 17-nation eurozone posted an October trade surplus of 10.2 billion euros ($13.4 billion), up from 9.5 billion euros in September, official data showed on Monday.

Eurozone exports in October, in seasonally adjusted terms, fell by 1.4 percent from the level in September while imports gained 0.6 percent, the Eurostat statistics office said.

In October 2011, the eurozone ran a trade deficit of 700 million euros.

In marked contrast, the full 27-member EU suffered a trade deficit of 9.4 billion euros in October, after a shortfall of 12.5 billion euros in September, with exports down 1.7 percent and imports up 0.3 percent in seasonally-adjusted terms.

A trade surplus contributes to growth, whereas a trade deficit tends to reduce it.

Euro area international trade in goods surplus of 10.2 bn euro [Eurostat]