Don’t know what to make of this gold inclusion below – very unusual.
U.S. trade gap shrinks to $51.6 billion
By Rex Nutting, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 10:17 AM ET Nov. 10, 2004
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - A strong euro and a strong hurricane helped cut the U.S. trade deficit by 3.7 percent to $51.6 billion in September.
Imports fell 0.8 percent to $149 billion while exports increased 0.8 percent to a record $97.5 billion, the Commerce Department estimated Wednesday….
Despite higher prices, the nation's bill for imported crude oil fell to $11.4 billion because imports were disrupted for a time by a powerful hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
The trade deficit with the European Union declined 20 percent to $7.7 billion, while the gap with euro countries plunged 29 percent to $5.7 billion. The value of the euro has strengthened against the dollar, reducing the relative competitiveness of European goods.
Meanwhile, the trade gap with China widened to a record $15.5 billion behind record imports of $18.4 billion.
Economists polled by CBS MarketWatch were expecting, on average, a trade gap of $53.8 billion.
The trade report helped propel the euro briefly above $1.30 for the first time.
"The underlying trends here remain unfavorable but the data from recent months suggest import growth is slowing a bit more than exports," said Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist for High Frequency Economics.
The trade gap in August was revised lower to $53.5 billion from $54 billion earlier. The deficit averaged $51.9 billion per month in the third quarter.
The increase in U.S. exports was largely driven by foods and feeds, and industrial materials, including soybeans, organic chemicals, gold and plastics. Exports of capital goods also increased, especially high-tech gear like computers and semiconductors…
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