By Cynthia Kim
SEOUL, Sept 1 (Reuters) – South Korea’s exports surged 68.7% in August from a year earlier, extending their winning streak to a 15th consecutive month and outpacing analysts’ forecasts as the economy continued to ride a wave of global technology demand.
Exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy came in at $98.26 billion in August, government data showed. The rate of expansion beat a median 62.6% increase tipped in a Reuters poll of economists.
Adjusting for the number of working days, exports rose at an even stronger 72.5% on average per working day. August had 22 working days, compared with 22.5 days in the same month last year.
Imports jumped 22.5%, resulting in a preliminary trade balance of $34.75 billion in August.
(Reporting by Cynthia KimEditing by Ed Davies)
