U.S. Current-Account Deficit Widened in Second Quarter
19 September 2017 - 11:00PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah Chaney and Ben Leubsdorf
WASHINGTON--The U.S. current account deficit, a measure of the
nation's trade and financial flows with foreign countries, widened
to $123.14 billion in the second quarter, the Commerce Department
said Tuesday.
Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a
deficit of $118.0 billion.
The $9.6 billion widening from the first quarter reflected an
increase in the secondary-income deficit, a decrease in the surplus
on primary income and an increase in the goods-trade deficit, the
government agency said.
The deficit increased to 2.6% of current-dollar gross domestic
product, versus 2.4% of nominal GDP in the first quarter.
The current account tracks movements of goods and services
across borders as well as income flows from investments and various
other transfers such as remittances. The U.S. has run persistent
trade deficits for decades by importing more than it exports.
The Commerce Department report on U.S. international
transactions can be found at www.bea.gov/newsreleases/rels.htm.
Write to Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com and Ben Leubsdorf
at ben.leubsdorf@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 19, 2017 08:45 ET (12:45 GMT)
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