Trade Balance

The ratio of imported and exported goods. The balance is active if the export goods costs exceed the import goods' costs (surplus), otherwise the balance is passive (shortfall). An active balance has a positive effect on the growth rate of the national currency. In the United States, the data is issued in the middle of the month at 13:30 GMT; in Japan - in mid-month at 23:50 GMT; in the Euro zone in the last decade of each month at 11:00 GMT; in Germany - in the first decade of each month at 7:00 GMT; in the UK - in the first decade of each month at 9:30 GMT.