ASIA

U.S. Runs Trade Surplus With ‘Tigers’: Is it a bright new day for U.S. exporters, or was the U.S. trade surplus with the Asian Tigers a one-month blip? For the first time since 1981, the trade balance moved from an overall deficit with Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan of $1.5 billion in January, to a surplus of $612 million in February, the U.S. government said. While currency movements have helped U.S. exports, the Tigers’ current stage of development has helped more, analysts said. “All these economies are just boiling over. You would expect tremendous demand for imports, especially given the dollar,” said CS First Boston strategic analyst Paul Schulte.