U.S. Trade Deficit Contracted in September
By Dean Seal
The U.S. trade deficit contracted in September, according to data published by the Commerce Department.
U.S. imports were higher than exports by $105 billion, down 0.7% from a revised $105.7 billion in August. Analysts polled by The Wall Street Journal were expecting an expansion to a $107.7 billion deficit.
The gap is the result of exports rising 1.9% from the previous month to $321.5 billion, while imports increased 1.2% to $426.6 billion.
Imports of goods increased by $4.4 billion and exports of goods rose by $5.1 billion in September. Exports of crude oil jumped by $1.2 billion.
The trade deficit had been widening in recent months from a flood of imports tied to the AI infrastructure buildout, along elevated oil prices and the Trump administration's ongoing tariff campaign.
Economists had expected that trend to continue in September, but the deficit in both goods and services receded. Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit is down 12% from the same period in 2025.
Write to Dean Seal at dean.seal@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 04, 2026 09:06 ET (14:06 GMT)
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