Australia posted a merchandise trade deficit of A$1.323 billion in October, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.
That beat expectations for a shortfall of A$1.80 billion following the revised A$2.235 billion deficit in September (originally A$2.261 billion).
It's also a decrease of A$912 million (41 percent) on the deficit in September 2014.
Exports were up 2.0 percent on year to A$26.904 billion. They were worth A$26.495 billion in September.
Non-rural goods climbed A$700 million (4 percent), while non-monetary gold fell A$204 million (13 percent), rural goods lost A$115 million (4 percent) and net exports of goods under merchanting fell A$7 million (70 percent). Services credits gained A$35 million (1 percent).
Imports fell an annual 2.0 percent to A$28.227 billion, down from A$28.730 billion in the previous month.
Intermediate and other merchandise goods fell A$371 million (4 percent), while consumption goods shed A$95 million (1 percent), capital goods lost A$43 million (1 percent) and non-monetary gold dropped A$34 million (9 percent). Services debits rose A$39 million (1 percent).
Also on Thursday, the ABS said that retail sales in Australia were up a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent on month in October, coming in at A$23.742 billion.
That beat forecasts for an increase of 0.1 percent following the upwardly revised 1.3 percent increase in September (originally 1.2 percent) and the 0.1 percent gain in August.
Among the individual components, sales for food retailing gained 0.4 percent, along with household goods retailing (0.6 percent), other retailing (0.4 percent), cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (0.4 percent), clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (0.5 percent) and department stores (0.2 percent).
By region, sales in New South Wales were up 0.7 percent, followed by Victoria (0.4 percent), Western Australia (0.3 percent), South Australia (0.5 percent) and the Australian Capital Territory (0.8 percent).
Queensland was relatively unchanged (0.0 percent), while sales in the Northern Territory (-0.4 percent) and Tasmania (-0.1 percent) were down.
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