U.S. Trade Deficit Jumps 14%

The U.S. trade deficit jumped by 14% in March as imports rose, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The gap between imports and exports rose to $51.8 billion, from a revised $45.4 billion in February that was slightly below the $46 billion originally reported.

Economists had projected a $50 billion trade gap, Bloomberg reported.

Imports jumped 5.2% to $238.6 billion, while exports rose 2.9% to $181.2 billion.