U.S. Goods-Trade Gap Widens as Imports Rise to Highest in a Year

U.S. Goods-Trade Gap Widens as Imports Rise to Highest in a Year

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg









Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg





The U.S. merchandise-trade deficit widened in October as imports reached the highest in more than a year, outpacing a gain in the value of exports.The shortfall grew to $80.3 billion from $79.4 billion in September, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday. The median estimate by economists in a Bloomberg survey was for a negative balance of $80.4 billion. Imports rose by 2.2% to $206.3 billion, the highest since September 2019, while exports increased 2.8% to $126 billion.