Connecticut exports rose 11 percent last year to $15.3 billion, as the state”™s manufacturers benefited from favorable currency exchange rates and strong overseas economies during much of 2008.
Connecticut”™s top trade partners continue to be Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom, according to the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research. Massachusetts-based WISER found that although Canada remains Connecticut”™s top trading partner, exports decreased by 2.4 percent.
Industrial machinery comprised the greatest segment of exports, at $6.2 billion, followed by aircraft and spacecraft parts. Rounding out the largest export sectors were electric machinery, medical instruments and plastics.
