Brasília, September 1, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - So far this year, Brazil's trade balance shows a cumulative surplus of US$ 15.132 billion - the best result ever for this period. According to data released by the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, in the final week of August there was a surplus of US$ 759 million. For the month as a whole, the surplus came to US$ 2.674 billion, also an historical record. (DAS)