Czech foreign trade surplus reaches CZK 19.3 billion in January

The Czech Republic recorded a foreign trade surplus of CZK 19.3 billion in January, up by CZK 1.5 billion year-on-year, the Czech Statistics Office said on its website.

The improved balance was mainly driven by a smaller deficit in trade in oil and natural gas, as well as a higher surplus in machinery and equipment.

Both imports and exports declined year-on-year in most commodity groups in January, according to the report. The value of exports of computers, electronic and optical instruments fell the most, by seven percent. By contrast, the value of their imports rose the most among all commodity groups, increasing by almost 17 percent.