OTHER NEWS - April 6, 1995

Japan’s Trade Surplus Grows: The figure rose to $12.33 billion in February from $12.15 billion a year earlier, the government reported, and economists said the surplus is likely to continue climbing because of the yen’s strength against the dollar. The February surplus, as measured by the unadjusted current account, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, surged from $3.69 billion in January, when exports were disrupted by the earthquake that hit the central part of the country. The yen’s rise temporarily inflates the value of exports even as it theoretically depresses export volume in the longer term by making Japanese goods more costly and less competitive.