US trade deficit goes up in September

The US trade deficit edges up in September as imports rose but exports declined, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The total trade deficit grew to 41.8 billion US dollars in September, up from a revised 38.7 billion dollars in August. Exports dropped 400 million dollars from the previous month to 188.9 billion dollars, reflecting less overseas sales of consumer goods, industrial supplies and materials, while imports rose 2.7 billion dollars from the previous month to 230.7 billion dollars in September. Purchases of foreign consumer goods and automotive vehicles increased. Trade deficit has been a drag of the U.S. economic growth for many years. However, an increase of net exports helped to boost the country's economic growth of 2.8 percent in the third quarter, which is higher than the previous quarter, the Commerce Department reported.