Washington

THE US trade deficit widened in August by the most in five months as imports picked up and weaker overseas growth limited sales to customers abroad.

The gap increased 15.6 per cent to US$48.3 billion from a revised US$41.8 billion in July, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a deficit of US$48 billion. Exports of goods dropped to the lowest level since June 2011.