WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. trade deficit rose in August to the highest level in 14 years.
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that the gap between the goods and services the United States sells and what it buys abroad climbed 5.9% in August to $67.1 billion, highest since August 2006. Exports rose 2.2% to $171.9 billion on a surge in shipments of soybeans, but imports rose more – up 3.2% to $239 billion – led by purchases of crude oil, cars and auto parts.
The U.S. deficit with the rest of the world in the trade of goods such as airplanes and appliances set a record $83.9 billion in August. The United States ran a surplus of $16.8 billion in the trade of services such as banking and education, lowest since January 2012.
The politically sensitive deficit in the trade of goods with China fell 6.7% to $26.4 billion.
So far this year, the United States has recorded a trade gap of $421.8 billion, up 5.7% from January-August 2019.