Australia Trade Surplus Beats Estimates

2025-12-04 00:39 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

Australia’s goods trade surplus widened to AUD 4.39 billion in October 2025, up from a downwardly revised AUD 3.71 billion in September and surpassing market expectations of AUD 4.2 billion.

It marked the largest trade surplus since July, as exports rose more than imports.

Exports grew 3.4% mom to a two-year high of AUD 45.98 billion in October, following a downwardly revised 7.6% increase in September, largely driven by a 14.2% rise in non-monetary gold shipments to AUD 6.10 billion, after a 62.2% surge in the previous month.

Among trading partners, exports increased to South Korea (39.1%), India (70.6%), and Japan (10.9%), while exports to the United States fell 18.5% due to the impact of newly imposed tariffs.

Shipments to China, Australia’s top trading partner, also declined by 2.2%.

On the imports side, inbound shipments climbed 2.0% to a record AUD 41.59 billion, following an upwardly revised 1.8% rise in September, amid robust domestic demand ahead of the festive season.



News Stream
Australia Logs Biggest Trade Deficit Since 2015
Australia unexpectedly posted a trade deficit of AUD 3.02 billion in May 2026, shifting from a downwardly revised AUD 1.38 billion surplus in the previous month and defying market expectations of an AUD 2.2 billion surplus. It was the second trade deficit so far this year and the largest since December 2015, as exports fell while imports rose. Exports dropped 6.9% month-on-month to a four-month low of AUD 43.61 billion, reversing a 7.2% increase in April, primarily weighed down by non-monetary gold and metal ores and minerals. Meanwhile, imports grew 2.6% month-on-month to a record high of AUD 46.63 billion, accelerating from a downwardly revised 0.2% increase in April, reflecting stronger domestic demand, driven by imports of cars, aircraft, and data centers, amid higher fuel prices.
2026-07-02
Australia Trade Balance Swings to Surplus
Australia posted a trade surplus of AUD 1.79 billion in April 2026, shifting from a downwardly revised AUD 1.02 billion deficit in the previous month and in line with market expectations. Exports grew 7.2% month-on-month to a three-year high of AUD 47.19 billion, after a downwardly revised 2.5% fall in March, primarily reflecting a sharp increase in metal ore and mineral prices amid supply concerns and rising energy costs. Non-rural goods shipments rose 11% to AUD 33.57 billion, mainly driven by a surge in metal ores and minerals, which soared 18.5% amid rising prices. Meanwhile, imports rose 0.8% month-on-month to AUD 47.19 billion, easing sharply from a downwardly revised 12.2% surge in March, as domestic demand moderated, with imports of computing equipment used in data centres falling back 42% after a surge in the previous month.
2026-06-04
Australia Posts First Trade Gap Since 2017
Australia unexpectedly posted a goods trade deficit of AUD 1.84 billion in March 2026, shifting from a downwardly revised AUD 5.03 billion surplus in the previous month and missing market expectations of an AUD 4.25 billion surplus. It marked the first trade gap since December 2017, as exports fell while imports surged. Exports dropped 2.7% mom to AUD 43.93 billion, reversing a downwardly revised 4.2% rise in February, mainly driven by other rural products. Also, non-monetary gold exports fell 6.1% to AUD 7.42 billion due to lower global gold prices, which fell over 10% in March, the steepest decline since June 2013. Meanwhile, imports jumped 14.1% to a record high of AUD 45.77 billion, reversing a downwardly revised 2.7% drop in February amid robust domestic demand. The growth was mainly boosted by purchases of capital goods, which surged 36.8% to AUD 12.68 billion, with ADP imports soaring 204.4%, reflecting strong investment in data centres, while purchases of fuel surged. .
2026-05-07