US trade deficit ywans wider in December as imports jump

America's shortfall in trade on goods with the rest of the world widened again at the tail-end of 2019, as import growth snapped back.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the so-called visible trade deficit increased by 8.5% versus November to reach $68.3bn (consensus: $64.5bn).

Purchases of goods from overseas rose by 2.3% month-on-month to $205.3bn, while exports were only 0.3% higher to $137.0bn.

In the same report, Commerce reported a 0.1% month-on-month dip in wholesale inventories to $675.6bn.