MANILA — The Philippines posted a trade deficit PHTBAL=ECI of $4.9 billion for July, preliminary official data showed on Tuesday.
Imports PHIMP=ECI in July rose 7.2% from a year earlier to $11.1 billion, while exports PHEXP=ECIrose just 0.1% to $6.2 billion, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.
The trade deficit in July was the largest since the $4.9 billion shortfall in March 2023, while import growth was the fastest since the 12.6% expansion in April this year.
—Reporting by Mikhail Flores and Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair
