The US trade gap with the rest of the world jumped to a 10-year high of US$ 621bn last year, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump's deficit reduction plan. The trade deficit is the difference between how much goods and services the US imports from other countries and how much it exports.
A hungry American economy powered by a strong U.S. dollar saw record imports in September, driving the U.S. trade deficit to its highest level in seven months, the government reported on Friday.
The U.S. trade deficit rose to a five-month high in July, with the politically sensitive gap with China hitting a record high, which economists said could embolden the Trump administration to aggressively pursue its “America First” agenda.