The current account surplus of Russia’s balance of payments in January 2024 improved notably to $6.4bn from $0.7bn seen in December 2023, according to the preliminary estimates of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). (chart) As followed by bne IntelliNews, in 2023 the CA surplus declined by 79% year on year, or by $188bn to $50bn. However, trade in goods and services indicators “were generally close to seasonal norms” in January 2024, according to the analysts of Rosbank, with $32.6bn in exports ($33.7bn average for 2017-2021), and $24.5bn in imports (with the 2017-2021 average at $22.6bn). The f…