Australia's current account surplus widens sharply in Q4

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Australia's current account surplus rose sharply in the December quarter as resource exports boomed and imports eased, providing a sizable fillip to economic growth. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday showed the current account surplus widened to A$14.1 billion in the fourth quarter. That was compared to a revised surplus of A$0.8 billion in the third quarter and handily beat forecasts of a A$6.5 billion surplus. The ABS said net exports would add 1.1 percentage points to gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter, when analysts had looked for a contribution of 1.3 percentage points.


(Reporting by Wayne Cole Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Messaging: wayne.cole.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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