Exports from Ireland fell by 4 per cent, or € 323 million from August to September, pushing the trade surplus down, also by 4 per cent, to €3.3 billion.
According to statistics from the Central Statistics Office, when considered on an annual basis, ie September 2013 to September 2014, the value of exports increased by € 568 million (+8%) to € 7,902 million. Imports fell by 3.4 per cent on the month in September, up by 6 per cent on a year-on-year basis,
An economic analyst noted that performance in the first half of 2014 was strong, up 13.1 per cent in volume terms, he said that with signs that the world economy is starting to struggle again, particularly the Eurozone, “there are doubts as to whether Irish merchandise exports will do as well in the second half of this year”.