--France revised Oct trade deficit 743 million euros
--France adj Nov trade balance above market expectations
By BridgeNews
Paris--Jan. 16--France managed to post a small 12-million-euro surplus in November, after four consecutive months of deficit, according to figures released by the French customs office Tuesday. The November surplus was an improvement on the 0.24 billion euro deficit generally expected by analysts.
* * * A reduced energy deficit and wider civilian and military industry surpluses helped push France's trade balance into positive territory after a 743-million-euro deficit in October (revised from a deficit of 760 million euros).
On an unadjusted basis the November surplus was 250 million euros compared with a revised surplus of 188 million euros in October. The energy deficit narrowed to 2.093 billion euros from 2.411 billion in October.
French exports rose to an adjusted 27.812 billion euros in November from 27.298 billion in October while imports, according to the customs office, appear to be stabilizing (27.800 billion in November compared with 28.041 billion the previous month). This is due less to a fall in oil prices--which was not really felt markedly until December--than to a lower level of purchases of consumer goods and computer material, the customs office said.
France's trade surplus with the rest of the European Union widened to 591 million euros in November form 218 million in October but its deficit with Germany widened to 724 million euros from 645 million.
The deficit with Japan narrowed to 464 million euros from 601 million while the deficit with the United States remained generally stable at 65 million euros compared with 66 million in October.