FX.co ★ U.S. Trade Deficit Widens Less Than Expected In January

The U.S. trade deficit saw a modest increase in the month of January, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday.

The Commerce Department said the trade deficit widened to $68.3 billion in January from a revised $67.2 billion in December.

Economists had expected the trade deficit to climb to $68.9 billion from the $67.4 billion originally reported for the previous month.

The wider trade deficit came as the value of exports surged by 3.4 percent to $257.5 billion, while the value of imports jumped by 3.0 percent to $325.8 billion.