April Trade Deficit $40.3B, Up From $40.0B in March

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit increased slightly to a seasonally adjusted $40.3 billion in April, up 0.6% from $40.0 billion in March, the Commerce Department reported yesterday.

Exports and imports both fell in the same month for the first time since April 2009.

The March trade deficit was revised lower to $40.0 billion from the $40.4 billion tally initially reported last month. The April trade deficit exceeded the median estimate in a Thomson Reuters survey of economists, which called for it to rise to $41.0 billion.

Imports of goods and services decreased by $1 billion, or 0.4%, to $189.1 billion.

Total exports of goods and services fell by $1.1 billion, or 0.7%, to $148.8 billion, the largest percentage decline in a year.

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