Early look at U.S. trade in September signals big decline in deficit

An early look at U.S. trade patterns in September signals a big drop in the nation's trade deficit. The trade gap in goods - services are excluded - fell nearly 13% to $58.6 billion in September, the government said Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted deficit in goods had shot up to a revised $67.2 billion in August from $59.1 billion in July. The government will release overall trade numbers for September on next Wednesday, but the size of the trade deficit is generally tied to changes in exports and imports of goods. Trade patterns involving services such as banking and medical advice rarely change much from month to month. The government reported last month that the total U.S. trade deficit in August rose to a five-month high of $48.3 billion, as exports fell to a three-year low. The full September report is likely to show a springback in U.S. exports.