(RTTNews) - Japan posted a current account surplus of 1.568 trillion yen in September, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday, climbing 0.2 percent on year.

That beat analyst expectations for a surplus of 1.51 trillion yen following the 1.171 trillion yen surplus in August.

Exports were down 32.1 percent on year to 4.8 trillion yen, while imports shed an annual 37.7 percent to 4.2 trillion yen for a BOP trade surplus of 599.2 billion yen.

The deficit in the service account plunged 74.5 percent to 38.9 billion yen, while the income surplus fell 27.2 percent to 1,082.3 billion yen.

The adjusted current account balance showed a surplus of 1.338 trillion yen, up from 1.233 trillion yen in the previous month.
Also on Tuesday, the Bank of Japan said that overall bank lending in Japan was up 1.5 percent on year in October, matching expectations following the revised 1.5 percent annual gain in September.

Excluding trusts, bank lending also rose 1.5 percent after the revised 1.6 percent increase in the previous month. Adjusted lending showed a 1.9 percent annual increase following the 2.3 percent gain a month earlier.

M2 money stock was up 3.3 percent on year, while M3 money stock added 2.4 percent. Both were roughly in line with expectations.

The broad measure of liquidity was up 1.2 percent.

by RTT Staff Writer

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