WASHINGTON (MNI) - The following are events and news reported over the Friday ET related to the ongoing crisis and other top news in the global financial system:

* The U.S. Commerce Department Friday reported that September trade balance printed -$36.5 billion, at an 18% monthly widening, the largest gain since February 1999 to the worst level since last December. Imports now are growing faster than exports. The deficit was a much lesser -$26.4 billion in May. Imports surged $9.3 billion (includes +$4.9 billion for energy-related products and +$1.7 billion for autos), similar to their July movement. Exports advanced a lesser +$3.7 billion, which included +$0.9 billion for aircraft and +$0.5 billion in oil-related items. September marks the fifth monthly gain in exports. [08:30 ET]

* The U.S. Import Price Index rose 0.7% in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, led by a 1.8% increase in fuel prices. The rise followed a 0.2% increase in September. U.S. export prices advanced 0.3% in October after decreasing 0.2% the previous month. [08:30 ET]

* The eurozone economy recovered less than generally expected in 3Q with GDP growth of 0.4%, Eurostat estimated Friday. The previous five quarters of contraction left activity 4.1% lower on the year. [05:00 ET]

* Canada's merchandise exports grew by 3.5% in September and the monthly deficit fell to C$927 million, just over half the $2 billion deficit in August and half the deficit expected by economists. Statistics Canada reported Friday that exports increased to $30.3 billion in September, from $229.2 billion in August, while imports declined by 0.1% to $31.18 billion from $31.22 billion. Exports have increased in three of the past four months, but were down 28.1% in September from September last year. [08:30 ET]

* China's economic structure adjustment will outweigh the economic growth rate in the government's work priority for 2010, a senior central bank official said Friday. [23:55 ET Thursday]

* UK house prices posted their sixth consecutive monthly rise in October and were down 2.4% on the year, according to the data series compiled by consultancy Acadametrics for the Financial Times. [04:50 ET]

* Current official interest rates in the eurozone are "appropriate" and help foster the stabilization of the economy, European Central Bank Governing Council member Ivan Sramko told Market News International. [05:15 ET]

* It won't necessarily be the case that all members of the eurozone have exited recession before the European Central Bank starts to tighten monetary policy, ECB Executive Board member Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Paramo said Friday. [07:36 ET]

* Japan's consumer confidence index stood at 40.5 in October, unchanged from September after rising for the ninth straight month, as more people worried about their job security six months ahead, offsetting a slightly more upbeat outlook for income growth and general economic well-being, the Cabinet Office reported on Friday. [Repeated 07:12 ET]

* While countries should keep support measures in place until the recovery is assured and employment rebounds, some emerging market economies may be able to remove stimulus "sooner rather than later," International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Friday. [06:30 ET]

* Germany's council of independent economic advisers -- the so-called "five wise men" -- expects GDP growth to be 1.6% in 2010. In its outlook released Friday, the council also lowered its forecast for 2009 German GDP growth to -5.0% from the flat forecast it made in November of last year. [Updated 04:37 ET]

* Most Asian currencies remain undervalued, the International Monetary Fund's managing director said Friday, but added that rapid economic growth in the region would eventually lead to their further appreciation. Speaking at a press conference held in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Singapore, the IMF's Dominique Strauss-Kahn also touched on the U.S. economy, saying that a double-dip recession was highly unlikely, although unemployment will continue to rise over the next 10 to 12 months. [03:29 ET]

* Contrary to expectations, French economic growth failed to accelerate in 3Q, as falling investment and inventory changes offset part of the boost from foreign trade and public consumption, according to preliminary data released Friday by the national statistics institute Insee. After a modest 0.3% upturn in 2Q, GDP grew at the same pace in 3Q, leaving activity 3.0% below the peak at start of last year, just before the worst recession in post-war history. [03:14 ET]

* The German economy continued to strengthen in the third quarter of 2009, building from 2Q's surprising rebound on the back of improvements in investment and rising inventories, the Federal Statistical Office said on Friday. GDP is estimated to have increased 0.7% in seasonally adjusted terms, whereas most analysts expected +0.9% or more. Compared to the previous-year period, activity was still 4.7% lower and 4.8% lower adjusting for working days. [02:00 ET]

* Chinese fiscal revenues rose 28.4% year-on-year in October to CNY684.49 billion, the Ministry of Finance announced Friday. The intake was below the 33% growth recorded in September. China's fiscal revenues fell during the first four months -- fueling concerns that the government would blow its fiscal deficit target at under 3% of 2009 GDP

month, 19.6% in June and 10.2% in July. [20:30 ET Thursday]

** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **