MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine merchandise imports grew a hefty 140.9% in April from a year earlier, while exports jumped 72.1%, both rising at their fastest pace in more than a decade, government data showed on Wednesday.
Imports totalled $8.45 billion, while exports reached $5.72 billion, yielding a trade deficit of $2.73 billion. This marked the tenth straight month that the gap has exceeded $2 billion, Philippine Statistics Authority data showed.