Australia Balanza Comercial

Australia's trade surplus on goods decreased to AUD 5.09 billion in December 2024 from a downwardly revised AUD 6.79 billion in the previous month, missing market expectations for a gain of AUD 7 billion and marking the smallest value since September. The decline was mainly due to a jump in imports. Purchases surged by 5.9% month-over-month, sharply accelerating from a downwardly revised 1.4% growth in November and hitting their largest amount in nine months of AUD 38.94 billion, boosted by capital goods n.e.s. Meanwhile, sales grew by 1.1%, slowing sharply from a downwardly revised 4.2% increase previously but reaching their highest amount since February, largely driven by metal ores and minerals.