U.S. 3Q Current Account Shows $127.2B Deficit

WASHINGTON — The U.S. current account deficit for the third quarter rose more than economists estimated to $127.2 billion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The second-quarter current-account deficit was revised downward by $100 million to $123.2 billion. The current-account deficit has expanded the past five quarters and has increased every quarter since hitting a 10-year low of $84.4 billion in the second quarter of 2009.

Economists expected a $126.0 billion current account deficit in the third quarter, when the gap represented 3.5% of gross domestic product. That’s an increase from 3.4% in the second quarter. It was the largest deficit percentage of GDP since the fourth quarter of 2008.

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