A provisional statement on Malta's international economic and financial transactions in the last quarter of 2005 shows a deterioration in the current account balance of Lm23.9 million, from a net deficit of Lm90.2 million in the December 2004 quarter to one of Lm114.1 million for the same quarter last year.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) said that leading towards this situation was essentially a deterioration in the net balances of both the income account and the goods account of the statement.
The net balance in the income account worsened by Lm29.6 million, from a net deficit of Lm300,000 in the fourth quarter of 2004 to one of Lm29.9 million during the same quarter in 2005.
The visible trade gap in the goods account expanded by Lm15 million, from a net deficit of Lm105.2 million during the last quarter of 2004 to one of Lm120.2 million in the corresponding period in 2005, the NSO said.