A €254m jump in the value of goods exports helped drive a near 22% surge in Ireland’s trade surplus in April; according to the latest seasonally adjusted data, the value of Irish goods exports increased by 3% to €9.24bn in April, compared with the preceding month.
An 11% — or €565m — drop to just over €4.7bn in the value of seasonally adjusted goods imports caused the bounce in the monthly trade surplus, which rose by €819m (22%) to €4.53bn.
The latest trade data showed an increase in the export of electrical machinery and of food and live animals. However, exports of medical and pharmaceutical products declined by 11% to €2.44bn.
The chief economist with Davy Stockbrokers, noted that excluding the pharmaceutical sector Irish export performance was still up 5%, year-on-year, in the first four months of the year.