Merchandise trade deficit in the US rise in December

The US trade deficit in commodity trade rose sharply in December as imports rebounded, indicating that the expected rise in fourth-quarter gross domestic product may be more moderate than initially expected.

The US Department of Commerce said today that the merchandise trade deficit in the United States, which fell for three consecutive months due to lower imports, rose 8.5% to 68.3 billion dollars in December.

Goods imports increased by 2.9% to $ 205.3 billion in December after falling by 1.3% in November and goods exports increased by 0.3% to $ 137.0 billion in December after increasing by 0.8% in November.