By Sarah Turner
SYDNEY (MarketWatch) -- Australia's trade surplus rose to 2.45 billion Australian dollars ($2.36 billion) in October, from A$2.42 billion in September, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed Thursday. Economists had been expecting a surplus of A$2.0 billion according to data compiled by Dow Jones Newswires. Separately, the ABS said that retail sales fell 1.1% in October on a seasonally adjusted basis. That compares with a rise of 0.1% in September. Economists had been expecting retail sales to advance 0.4%, according to data compiled by Dow Jones Newswires. The largest fall was recorded in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, where sales declined 4.8%, while clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing sales fell 4.6%. Turnover rose in food retailing, up 0.6%, and household goods, up 0.5%, the ABS said.
