CAIRO (Reuters) - The Suez Canal Authority earned $17 million in revenue on Monday, its highest daily figure since May, its spokesman said, adding it was an indication that the global economy was recovering. The canal is an important source of foreign currency for Egypt, along with tourism, oil and gas exports and remittances from Egyptians living abroad. The canal, a major international shipping route, is seen as a barometer of global trade. "This is an indicator that the effects of the crisis are beginning to subside and a very good indicator that keeping the tolls steady was a wise decision," Tarek Hassanein, chief of press and information at the Suez Canal Authority told Reuters. The Suez Canal Authority said in January it was keeping its tolls steady in 2010 for the second straight year without change to support global trade movement and help shipping companies overcome the effects of the financial crisis. The number of vessels that used the waterway on Monday was 67, carrying 3.2 million tonnes of cargo.