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U.S. Trade Deficit Shrinks to 16-Year Low in October After Trump Tariffs

The trade gap shrank 39% to $29.4 billion as imports fell 3.2% and exports rose 2.6%, driven by tariffs and shifts in trade flows, Commerce Department data showed.

  • U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau published January 8, 2026 data showing the United States economy trade deficit plunged 39% to $29.4 billion in October, the lowest since June 2009.
  • Tariff moves by the Trump administration, including ending the de minimis rule on Aug. 29, prompted U.S. firms to stockpile imports earlier this year before reducing purchases.
  • Monthly figures indicate imports fell while exports rose, as imports dropped 3.2% to $331.4 billion, exports rose 2.6% to $302 billion, and goods imports fell 4.5% to $255 billion with consumer goods down $14.0 billion.
  • If maintained, the narrowed trade gap could add to fourth-quarter growth, and the Supreme Court will soon rule on tariff legality, which could affect many country-specific tariffs.
  • Yale's Budget Lab finds the U.S. effective tariff rate topped 16%, the highest since the 1930s, and year-through-October comparison to 2024 shows the deficit up more than 7.7% amid large trade swings.
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Bloomberg broke the news in United States on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
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