Japan's Current Account Surplus Up 14.3% in September

(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Japan's current account surplus increased 14.3% year-on-year to US $5.9 Billion (587.3 Billion yen) in September, a five-month high, data released by the Ministry of Finance showed Monday. The surplus exceeded expectations of a median estimate of 401 Billion yen in a market survey of economists. It beat forecasts for a contraction of 10.4% following the 63.7% annual plummet a month earlier The surplus recorded in September 2013 is for the eighth consecutive month The sharp weakening of the yen, sparked by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy of aggressive monetary easing, spurred some Japanese companies to repatriate reserved profits at foreign subsidiaries The trade balance reflected a deficit of 874.8 billion yen, missing forecasts for a shortfall of 853.9 billion yen after showing a deficit of 885.9 billion yen in August.