NZ posts first trade deficit for March month in 10 years as fuel imports surge

NZ posts first trade deficit for March month in 10 years as fuel imports surge
Tina Morrison
By Tina Morrison April 27 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand posted its first trade deficit for a March month in a decade as a jump in fuel imports outweighed higher exports of butter and logs. Goods imports rose 14 percent to $4.94 billion in March compared with the same month a year earlier, mainly driven by imports of crude oil, petrol and diesel, aircraft, computers, and tractors, Statistics New Zealand said. Petroleum and products surged $297 million, or 88 percent, to $634 million in March 2018, the largest increase since a $453 million r...