U.S. Trade Deficit Contracts Sharply in September

The international U.S. trade deficit in goods and services contracted sharply in September. The gap shrank 5.3 percent to $44 billion, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The politically sensitive trade deficit with China edged down $2.2 billion to $27.8 billion, but remained near record highs. Meanwhile, U.S. exports expanded 0.3% to $154.10 billion, the most since August 2008, from $153.60 billion the previous month.