The figures for the French trade deficit had reached their worst in history in January.
The French trade deficit rose to 9.4 billion euros in February, an improvement over the previous month, customs said on Tuesday. It was established in January at 9.8 billion euros according to figures corrected on Tuesday, the worst deficit ever recorded.
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The French trade deficit thus interrupts a series of declines over the previous three months, thanks to an increase in exports and a stagnation in imports. The rise in the price of goods has for months favored the deterioration of the deficit: in February, import prices rose again in value by 3% against 1% for exports.
Energy imports in negative balance
Scrutinized in recent months due to soaring hydrocarbon prices, energy imports have again weighed on the French trade balance, with a negative balance of 200 million euros. The price of imported energy goods increased by 10% over the month, specify the customs. At the same time, the price of a barrel of oil on the international markets exceeded the symbolic bar of 100 dollars in February, pushed up by the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Excluding energy, however, the French foreign trade balance has been on the rise for three months thanks to more marked growth in exports. As for the balance of payments, which includes trade in services, the current account deficit stood at 1.1 billion euros in January, against 1.3 billion the previous month, detailed the Banque de France on Tuesday.