U.S. September trade deficit narrows slightly; goods exports rise to a four-month high.

U.S. September trade deficit narrowed slightly, with goods exports rising to a four-month high. Data released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed that the goods and services trade deficit narrowed by 0.7% from the previous month to $105 billion. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was a deficit of $107.9 billion. Affected by factors such as tariffs, rising oil prices, and supply chain disruptions, the monthly trade data, which is not adjusted for inflation, has been highly volatile. Exports increased by 1.9%, mainly driven by an increase in capital goods exports. Imports rose by 1.2%. Capital goods imports increased by $11.6 billion from the previous month, setting a new record. This category includes computers and accessories, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment. U.S. companies are aggressively purchasing imported technology equipment to expand artificial intelligence capabilities. Meanwhile, imports of industrial supplies, including oil and petroleum products, decreased by $3.7 billion from the previous month. The report showed that the United States imported fewer barrels of crude oil than in the previous month. Exports of industrial supplies decreased by $1 billion.