MW: U.S. trade deficit widens 15.8% to $48.7 billion
By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. trade deficit widened 15.8% to $48.7 billion in November, hitting the largest deficit since April, compared with a revised $42.1 billion deficit in October, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported Friday. Imports rose 3.8% to $231.3 billion, the highest level since April, while exports increased 1% to $182.6 billion. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the trade deficit to narrow to $41.3 billion in November from a prior October estimate of $42.2 billion, but noted that monthly results could be skewed by recent longshoreman strikes. On an unadjusted basis, U.S. trade deficits widened with Canada and the European Union, but narrowed with China and the oil-producing OPEC nations.
