By Online.wsj.comBUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones)--Argentina's trade surplus likely widened in December from the previous month as the government's protectionist policies reduced imports.
"We expect a surplus, not because exports were better than expected, but because imports have been coming in lower than expected," said Maximiliano Castillo, an economist and director of the consultancy Analisis de Coyuntura Macroeconomica.
"The key, and this is what everyone is eager to see, is what happens to imports given the greater restrictions and greater focus on limiting imports," he said.
The national statistics agency, Indec, is expected to report a trade surplus of $700 million for December, according to the median forecast of five economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires.
If correct, Argentina would have posted a full year surplus of $10.7 billion.
The Central Bank of Argentina has forecast a trade surplus of $8.9 billion this year, a far cry from the $17 billion reported in 2009.
Indec is scheduled to release its trade balance report on Monday at 2:00 p.m. EST.
In recent weeks, President Cristina Kirchner's government has stepped up its efforts to reduce imports and demand... Read Full Article
