February trade deficit rises to 6-month high of US$47.1b

Washington

AMERICA'S trade deficit widened in February to a six-month high as an increase in imports exceeded a more modest pick-up in shipments overseas.

The gap increased 2.6 per cent to US$47.1 billion from a revised US$45.9 billion in January, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey was a US$46.2 billion February shortfall.

The gain in exports was just the first in five months and highlights the squeeze on American manufacturers from a stronger US dollar that's made US-made goods less attractiv…