OTTAWA, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Canada's merchandise trade balance rose dropped sharply in September, Statistics Canada reported Thursday from Ottawa.
From August to September, exports rose 1.8 percent, while imports rose only 0.2 percent, which pushed a $1.1 billion trade gap in August down to $435 million in September.
Imports rose to $41.1 billion with volumes down 0.2 percent and prices up 0.4 percent.
The agency said rising imports of energy products and consumer goods was partly offset by declining imports of industrial chemicals, plastic and rubber products and transportation equipment.
Imports from the United States rose 0.9 percent in the month to $26.2 billion, while exports to Canada's neighbor to the south rose 1 percent to $30.5 billion. Canada's trade surplus with the United States rose, consequently, from $4.2 billion in August to $4.3 billion in September.
Exports to countries other than the United States also rose, climbing 4.2 percent to $10.1 billion. This included a 21 percent gain in exports to the European Union, StatsCan said.
Canada runs a trade deficit with countries other than the United States. From August to September, that deficit dropped from $5.3 billion to $4.7 billion.
