DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
The Panamanian government's budget ended last year with a deficit equivalent to 1% of the country's gross domestic product, or $250 million, the Panamanian government said late Wednesday.
The government had posted a surplus equivalent to 0.4% of GDP in 2008.
Panama's Finance Minister Alberto Vallarino said the budget deficit is positive given the difficult situation in the year.
The Panamanian economy slowed down in 2009 after growing 10.7% in 2008. In the third quarter of last year, the last data available, the country's GDP only expanded 1.1%.
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