U.S. trade deficit falls 15% in September

The international trade deficit, a negative balance in which the overall value of a country’s imports exceed that of its exports, declined from $48.0 billion in August to $40.8 billion in September.    The U.S. international trade deficit in September fell 15 percent to $40.8 billion compared to a revised $48 billion in August, according to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
   The trade gap declined to its lowest level since February as lower crude oil prices helped to curb import values. Analysts said the decrease could be a signal that the effects of a strong dollar, which makes U.S. exports more expensive abroad, are waning.
   Not necessarily “good” or “bad” indicator in terms of the overall health of nation’s economy, a trade deficit, as opposed to a surplus, means the combined value a country’s imports of goods and services exceeds the combined value of its exports.
   The overall value of U.S. exports grew 1.6 percent to $187.9 billion in September compared with the previous month, with goods up 2.3 percent to $127.3 billion and services up just $0.1 billion to $60.6 billion.
   Imports fell 1.8 percent to $228.7 billion for the month, with goods down 2.3 percent to $187.6 billion services up slightly to $41.1 billion from $41.0 billion in August.
   The trade deficit for goods stood at $60.3 billion in September, down from $67.6 billion in August, while services registered a surplus of $19.5 billion, down just $0.1 billion from the previous month.
   The U.S.-China trade deficit reached an all-time high of $36.3 billion in September, up 3.8 percent from August.