WASHINGTON — The U.S. international trade deficit was $43 billion in February, a 3.4% decrease from the revised $44.5 billion deficit in January, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
The January trade balance was originally reported as a $44.4 billion deficit. The 3.4% month-over month deficit decrease was the largest since a 20.9% dive reported between November and December 2012.
The February deficit was smaller than the median $44.6 billion figure estimated by economists polled by Thomson Reuters, and resulted from total exports of $186 billion and imports of $228.9 billion.
The trade deficit was $1.6 billion lower than in the same month in 2012. Exports rose $5.8 billion, or 3.2%, from the previous year. Imports climbed $4.2 billion, or 1.9%.
On a month-over-month basis, exports were 8% above the previous month's revised level of $184.4 billion, and reflected a $1.8 billion decrease in exports of industrial supplies, the Commerce Department said.
Imports rose slightly on a monthly basis. The year to date international trade deficit through February stood at $87.4 billion, down from $96.9 billion through the first two months of 2012.
