Russia Reports Big Trade Surplus; Economists Doubtful:...

Russia Reports Big Trade Surplus; Economists Doubtful: The government said the surplus for 1993 was $14.68 billion, up from $5.34 billion in 1992. The figure is far below earlier estimates, and Western economists said it could be grossly exaggerated. Interfax news agency said imports fell by more than $4 billion last year to $31.23 billion, while exports rose $5.3 billion to $45.91 billion. But senior Western economists said cross-checking with Russian trade partners by the International Monetary Fund showed a trade surplus of about $5 billion to $7 billion for 1993.