U.S. exports set fresh record


The U.S. trade deficit has become Public Enemy No. 1 in the view of President Trump, who’s unveiled broad tariffs on an array of foreign goods to force other countries to rework lop-sided trade deals.



  • The U.S. trade deficit shrank 2.1% in April — before the Trump tariffs took effect — and tumbled to a seven-month low.
  • The U.S. shipped out the most domestically produced petroleum in five years, along with more soybeans and corn.
  • The U.S. trade deficit in goods with China fell sharply because of a drop in imports.
  • Exports to Mexico hit an all-time high.
  • The U.S. imported fewer cell phones, consumer electronics and foreign autos.



“The big question going forward is how the trade ledger is affected by the Trump administration’s recent tariff decisions and reciprocal retaliation by the EU, Canada and Mexico, not to mention the recent strengthening of the dollar and jump in oil prices,” wrote Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. For now he doesn’t see trade tensions harming the U.S. economy in any big way.




https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-trade-deficit-falls-to-7-month-low-as-exports-set-fresh-record-2018-06-06?link=MW_latest_news