Philippines posts smallest trade deficit in three months in Feb

April 11, 2023 - 11:00 AM
1398
Trading boats
The economic impact of the intensifying trade war between Washington and Beijing appeared to deepen last month with factory activity and export orders weakening across Asia. (Philstar/File photo)

The Philippines posted a trade deficit of $3.88 billion for February PHTBAL=ECIthe smallest gap in three months, the statistics agency said on Tuesday.

Imports in February PHIMP=ECI shrank 12.1% to $8.95 billion from a year earlier, the steepest drop since November 2020. Exports PHEXP=ECI fell 18.1% to $5.08 billion, the biggest decline since May, 2020, preliminary data showed.

—Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Ed Davies