BANGKOK: Thailand's customs-cleared exports rose 18.7% in March from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday, higher than analysts' expectations.
* The March reading compared with a forecast increase of 9.75% in a Reuters poll and followed a 9.9% rise in the previous month.
* Imports rose 35.7% on the year, resulting in a trade deficit of $3.34 billion for the month.
* In the first three months of 2026, exports rose 17.6% year on year.
* Shipments to the United States, Thailand's largest market, jumped 41.9% in March from a year earlier, while exports to China dropped 1.1% and those to the Middle East slumped 57.1%, the ministry said. - Reuters
