The Dutch trade surplus reached €3.8bn in October 2009, about the same as October 2008, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday.

Both imports and exports were down, with the value of exports 16% below that of October 2008. However, in volume terms, exports were down 6%, compared with an 8% drop in September. This shows exports may be picking up, the CBS said.
As in previous months, exports to the EU fell more sharply than exports to the rest of the world.