Trade deficit narrows slightly on pickup in goods exports

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in September as the value of goods exports rose to a four-month high. The gap in goods and services trade shrank 0.7% from the prior month to $105 billion, Commerce Department data showed Nov. 4. Economists projected a $107.9 billion shortfall, based on the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. The monthly trade figures, which are not adjusted for inflation, have gyrated through U.S. tariffs, a war-driven jump in oil prices, supply chain disruptions and surging demand for computers, semiconductors and other components needed to build more data centers. The value of exports rose 1.9%, led by an increase in outbound shipments of capital goods. Imports increased 1.2%, also led by a surge in business equipment. The value of inbound capital goods — a category that includes computers and accessories, semiconductors and telecommunications equipment — rose $11.6 billion from a month earlier to a fresh record. U.S. companies are spending heavily on imported technology to ramp up artificial intelligence capacity. 🆕 The nation's #InternationalTrade deficit in goods and services decreased to $105.0 billion in September from $105.7 billion in August (revised), as exports increased more than imports. https://t.co/jqYjiaHsvj #CensusEconData @BEA_News https://t.co/siqeME8kP7 — U.S. Census Bureau (@uscensusbureau) November 4, 2026 At the same time, imports of industrial supplies, which include oil and petroleum products, fell $3.7 billion from a month earlier. The U.S. imported fewer barrels of crude oil than a month earlier, according to the report. Exports of industrial supplies decreased $1 billion. Imports and exports of nonmonetary gold, a category that has been…

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