US trade deficit widens slightly on rise in imports

WASHINGTON, United States -A rise in imports widened the US trade deficit in July, government data showed Wednesday, although the increase was smaller than analysts had expected.

The country’s trade gap grew to $65.0 billion in July, up from June’s revised $63.7 billion figure, the Commerce Department said.

But this remained below the average for the second quarter according to analyst estimates.

In the latest figures, imports picked up 1.7 percent to $316.7 billion while exports rose 1.6 percent to $251.7 billion.