US trade deficit climbs 4.3 percent in January

The US Department of Commerce reported Friday that US goods and services exports in January increased 1.4 percent from the same month a year ago to reach $180.8 billion--marking the second consecutive month of export growth. However, US imports of goods and services also increased, rising 2.1 percent to $233.4 billion, causing the US trade deficit to increase by 4.3 percent to reach $52.6 billion in January compared to $50.4 billion in December.