Services Trade Surplus

The trade deficit in goods and services for April was £3 billion compared with £2.7 billion in March. The balance on trade in goods showed a deficit of £7 bn. The balance of trade in services showed a surplus of £4 bn on the month and £12.1 bn on the quarter. Total exports of goods were £18.9 bn and total imports were £25.9 bn. The trade deficit for the quarter narrowed by £2.3 bn to £20.2 bn. Exports and imports on a world basis both rose by 3%. Exports to the USA and Italy were up but fell to Germany and France. Imports from Germany, Canada and Italy all fell by £0.1 bn but imports from Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland all increased by £0.1 bn. All the information from the ONS on UK Trade is on a balance of payments basis.