Usa: increase in trade deficit at October

The United States trade deficit has increased again: in the first 10 months of 2004 it reached 500.5 billion US dollars, compared to 496.5 billion dollars in the same period of 2003 (+0.8%), with a 9% increase in October.

In the same month, the deficit stood at 55.5 billion dollars, due mainly to the big leap in oil prices. The deficit at October was about 5% higher than that estimated by Wall Street analysts. The significant increase in the trade deficit should bring about a slight reduction in GDP for the last quarter of the year.

Continuing its commercial rise is China, the second supplier after Canada; in the first 10 months of 2004 China totaled a positive balance of 131.1 billion dollars. For Italy, exports at October were 23.1 billion dollars (+10% '04/'03), imports were 8.8 billion dollars (+2,3% '04/'03), resulting in positive balance of 14.3 billion dollars (+16,3% '04/'03).

(Source: Ice)