Euro area current account, Trump comments

This is very ‘strong euro’ stuff, as in the longer term trade flows do rule:

Euro Area Current Account Surplus At Nearly 1-Year High

Eurozone current account surplus rose to EUR 40.5 billion in November of 2016 from a EUR 30.9 billion surplus a year earlier and reaching the highest since December of 2015. Considering the first eleven months of the year, the current account surplus rose by EUR 38.4 billion to EUR 355.8 billion; the goods surplus increased to EUR 372.6 billion (EUR 345.7 billion a year earllier), the services surplus rose to EUR 68.3 billion (EUR 59.2 billion a year earlier) and the secondary income deficit narrowed to EUR 130 billion (EUR -137.4 billion a year earlier). In contrast, the primary income surplus declined to EUR 44.9 billion from EUR 49.9 billion. If adjusted for seasonal factors, the current account surplus also widened to EUR 36.1 billion from EUR 28.3 billion in the previous month.

12301

“And then they say, ‘Is Donald Trump an intellectual?'” Trump said. “Trust me, I’m like a smart person.”

A former senior CIA officer told NBC News he was embarrassed, watching the remarks, which he called a “free-wheeling, narcissistic diatribe.”