By Associated Press
Birmingham, AL – New figures show Alabama exports are bouncing back, with the turnaround driven by a resurgence in the state's auto industry.
The Alabama Development Office's International Trade Division says that through April, the value of state-made goods shipped around the world was nearly $4.8 billion, a 32 percent increase over the same time period last year.
Auto exports alone account for more than a quarter of that total, surging 65 percent from a year ago.
Keivan Deravi, an economist at Auburn University at Montgomery, says sustaining the growth will be a challenge as Europe deals with a financial crisis and China's economy could cool down.