Last year the central bank had put the July-September 2017 figure at $1.64 billion. The trade deficit increased to $9.90 billion from $8.91 billion, with exports rising 16 percent to $6.79 billion and imports 13 percent to $16.68 billion. Petroleum exports surged 58 percent to $2.81 billion and imports climbed 27 percent to $3.50 billion, the central bank said in its quarterly balance of payments report. Remittances from workers abroad, a major source of foreign currency, edged up to $5.91 billion in the quarter from $5.82 billion a year earlier. The central bank apparently revised last year’s figure, which it had previously put at $5.97 billion.

Source: Egypt Today January 10, 2019 16:01 UTC