CBC News: U.S. trade deficit jumps 6.3% at annual rate of $686 billion US

CBC NewsU.S. trade deficit jumps 6.3% in April at an annual record rate of $686 billion US

The U.S. trade deficit jumped by 6.3 per cent in April to $56.96 billion US as a surge in oil imports wiped out a record three per cent increase in export sales, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Friday. A 4.3 per cent increase in petroleum imports to $19.4 billion pushed total imports for the month to an all-time high of $163.38 billion US. The American trade deficit is currently running at an annual rate of $686 billion US, 11 per cent higher than last year's record $617.58 billion.