U.S. Trade Deficit Widens in December, Reaches Five-Month High

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported a significant increase in the trade deficit for December, expanding nearly 33% to $70.3 billion, marking the highest level in five months. According to RTHK, this rise was driven by a substantial increase in imports, contrary to market expectations of a reduction to $55.5 billion. For the entire previous year, the trade deficit narrowed slightly by 0.2% to $901.5 billion. However, the goods trade deficit expanded by 2.1%, reaching a record high of $1.24 trillion. Notably, the goods trade deficit with China decreased by nearly 32% year-on-year, amounting to $202.1 billion.