Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
The June current account surplus was largely thanks to a surplus in the goods balance which was $5.03 billion (exports of $45.36 billion against imports of $40.33 billion). By item, shipbuilding (9.1%), semiconductors (6.6%), and chemicals (7.1%) saw their year-on-year exports rise. In contrast, display panels (-17.1%), steel (-9.4%), and auto parts (-4.7%) declined compared to a year ago. By region, exports to the EU, the United States, and China have grown while those to the Middle East, Japan, and Southeast Asia have shrunk.
The services balance stayed the same level of $1.18 billion. The balance of primary income account was a surplus of $960 million from the previous month's $190 million, largely due to an improvement in dividend and interest balance. As for the balance of transfer income account, it was a surplus of $70 million.