Overview
- South Korea reported Wednesday that exports rose 48.3% from a year earlier to a record $86.13 billion.
- The jump in overseas sales produced a $25.74 billion trade surplus, the largest monthly surplus on record.
- Semiconductor exports rose 151.4% to $32.83 billion as memory prices climbed and server builders spent for artificial intelligence.
- Imports increased 13.2% to $60.40 billion as higher oil prices met supply squeezes through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Exports to China, the United States, and the European Union climbed, while shipments to the Middle East fell 49.1% during the conflict.