Investing.com - The euro zone’s trade surplus widened less-than-expected in November, official data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, Eurostat said the trade surplus widened to a seasonally adjusted EUR16.0 billion in November from a surplus of EUR14.3 billion in October. Analysts had expected the euro zone’s trade surplus to widen to EUR16.7 billion in November.
The data showed that exports totaled EUR158.1 billion in November, down from EUR158.3 billion in October, while imports came in at EUR142.1 billion, down from EUR144.0 billion in the preceding month.
Following the release of the data, the euro held on to losses against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD shedding 0.45% to trade at 1.3617.
Meanwhile, European stock markets were mildly higher. The EURO STOXX 50 advanced 0.5%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.4%, London’s FTSE 100 inched up 0.3%, while Germany's DAX tacked on 0.75%.