Trade surplus jumped in eurozone

BRUSSELS, May 16 (UPI) -- The trade surplus in the 17-nation eurozone jumped to $29.5 billion in March from $8.9 billion in the same month of 2012, Eurostat said Thursday.

The surplus was also a dramatic jump from February, when the surplus amounted to $13 billion, said Eurostat, the data agency for the European Commission.

Exports rose 2.8 percent from February, while imports fell by 1 percent, Eurostat said.

Eurostat keeps two sets of data, one for the 17-member eurozone, which shares the euro as currency and one for the 27-member European Union.

The EU in March notched a trade surplus of $20.4 billion after running a $10.5 billion deficit in March 2012.

The EU surplus also climbed from February, which posted a surplus of $2.1 billion.