The euro area trade surplus edged down in August, compared with the last year, with declining exports to China and geopolitical tensions likely to continue to delay a sustained recovery.

China's September imports totalled $220bn, resulting in a weaker-than-expected 0.3% YoY growth rate, down from August's 0.5% YoY and falling short of market forecasts. Through the first three quarters of the year, China's imports grew by 2.2% YoY to date.

TOKYO-- Kuwait's trade surplus with Japan narrowed 51.7 percent from a year earlier to JPY 37.6 billion (USD 234 million) in September, down for the first time in two months due to weak exports, government data showed on Thursday.