By Greg Robb
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. trade deficit widened by 6% in March to $48.2 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The trade deficit was above the consensus forecast of Wall Street economists for a deficit of $47.0 billion. It is the largest deficit in nine months. Imports rose faster than exports in March. Exports rose to the highest level on record while imports were the strongest since August 2008. The deficit is quite close to government estimates in the advance first quarter gross domestic product report suggesting little revision to GDP from trade. The trade sector subtracted slightly from Q1 GDP after adding 3.3 percentage points to growth in the fourth quarter.
