Economists see this as determining how the transaction's total economic surplus will be divided between consumers and producers.

Under such circumstances monopolisation would result in an increase in total surplus.

Trade liberalization increases total surplus of trading nations.

"Even though the likelihood of the system's incurring losses exceeding its revenues appears remote, the total surplus increased 79 percent in the 1988-1994 period."

The total surplus last year was $236.9 billion, a record.

The total surplus in 2003 would be $195 billion, with $2 billion coming from outside Social Security.

The total surplus in FY 2001 was $128 billion.

The difference of the two terms yields the total agricultural surplus of the economy.

While the Federal budget deficit tops $200 billion, the states wound up with a total combined surplus of about $18 billion last year.

In its most recent projection, the budget office said last month that the total surplus over the next 10 years should be $5.6 trillion.