BRUSSELS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Recovering exports produced an unexpected trade surplus for the euro zone in September, data showed on Tuesday, underlining the relative weakness of domestic against global demand early in the economic recovery.
The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said the seasonally unadjusted external trade surplus in the 16 countries using the euro was 3.7 billion euros in September against market expectations of a 2 billion euro deficit in a Reuters poll.
Eurostat also revised upwards August trade data to deficit of 2.3 billion euros rather than the previously reported 4 billion euros. In September 2008, the deficit was 6 billion.
Unadjusted data showed that while still well below last year's levels, exports were recovering in year-on-year terms.
The annual exports fall was 18 percent in September against 21 percent in August. Imports improved less -- they were 24 percent lower than in September 2008, against a 26 percent fall in August signalling soft domestic demand.[ID:nBRQ009595]
Adjusted for seasonal swings, the euro zone had an even bigger trade surplus o 6.8 billion euros in September, up from 2.2 billion in August, as exports jumped 5.5 percent month-on-month and imports rose only 1.1 percent.
This comes after a 4.1 percent month-on-month fall in exports and a 1 percent decline in seasonally adjusted imports in August.
The trade surplus in September comes despite the euro