U.S. February trade deficit widened less than expected

CoinJiexian April 2 report: Data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce on Thursday showed that the U.S. February trade deficit widened by a smaller-than-expected margin, while both imports and exports increased. The goods and services trade deficit grew 4.9% from the previous month to $57.3 billion, below the market expectation of $61.0 billion. February exports rose 4.2%, mainly driven by higher shipments of gold and natural gas. Imports increased 4.3%, affected by a rise in computer, semiconductor, and auto imports. Royalty payments for intellectual property use also rose, which may reflect a short-term boost from broadcast rights for the Winter Olympics. Since Trump rolled out an aggressive tariff policy a year ago, month-to-month fluctuations in the U.S. trade balance still reflect the policy’s inconsistency. After the Supreme Court struck down part of the tariffs, the tariff level fell to its lowest point since April 2025. One key question is whether companies this year will increase imports or shift toward domestic production. After the ruling, the White House quickly adjusted tariffs on some imports.