LatinNews Daily - 21 October 2024

*Argentina’s national statistics institute (Indec) has released new figures showing that the country registered a trade surplus of US$981m in September, up from a deficit of US$774m in September 2023 but down from a surplus of US$1.9bn in August and US$1.5bn in July. Although this is the tenth consecutive month of trade surpluses, September’s surplus was the lowest since January, which Indec attributed to the performance of imports. In September, Argentina’s imports totalled US$5.95bn down 8.8% year-on-year, while exports totalled US$6.93bn, up 20.6% year-on-year. Brazil was the main destination for Argentine exports in September, with an export value of US$1.31bn, followed by Chile (US$608m), the US (US$489m), and China (US$427m). Brazil was also the main source of imports, accounting for US$1.46bn, followed by China (US$1.38bn), the US (US$506m), and Germany (US$250m). The cumulative trade balance for the year to September registered a surplus of US$15.08bn.