U.S. Trade Deficit Widens

The U.S. trade deficit widened by 8.8% in August, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The increase in the gap between imports and exports followed a July decline that had been the biggest drop in almost a year and a half, and left the trade deficit at $46.3 billion.

Imports rose 2.1% to $200.2 billion, while exports rose 0.2% to $153.9 billion.

The rise in the deficit was at the high end of economists’ forecast of a $40 billion to $47.5 billion gap, Bloomberg reported.

The increase in exports was due in part to higher demand for foreign automobiles and capital equipment, Bloomberg said.