BERLIN, April 9 - Germany's trade surplus widened in February to 10.6 billion euros from 9.0 billion euros in January, Federal Statistics Office data showed on Wednesday. The goods trade surplus was slightly above the consensus forecast in a poll for a surplus of 9.4 billion euros. The surplus widened from February 2002, when it was 10.0 billion euros. Exports totalled 53.8 billion euros in February, up 4.4 percent from a year ago, while imports rose 4.1 percent from February 2002 to 43.3 billion euros. In month-on-month terms, exports fell 2.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, while imports fell 1.6 percent.
The current account showed a surplus of 4.5 billion euros in February from a deficit of 1.3 billion euros in January, far above the consensus forecast for a surplus of 2.7 billion euros. The current account measures not only goods and services trade with other nations, but also elements like remittances and debt servicing costs, making it a country's broadest measure of international financial transactions.//