Unexpectedly, US Trade Deficit Plummets to Lowest Level Since Global Depression Year 2009, Shattering "Expert" "Expectations"

Exports rose a solid 2.6% while imports fell 3.2%.

The trade deficit--a measurement by which the cost of a country's imports is worth more than its exports--shrank to $29.4 billion in October, the narrowest gap since June 2009 and a 39% decrease from September ($48.1 billion), the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported.

Imports decreased 3.2% in the month to $331.4 billion from September, while exports jumped 2.6% to $302 billion, according to the agency.

Wall Street expected the trade gap to widen to $60.6 billion, according to FactSet.

The effective tariff rate imposed by the U.S. was 17.9% in October, the highest since 1934, according to the Budget Lab at Yale.

Forbes claims that this shows that Trump's tariffs "disrupted international trade more than expected." That's one way to put it, I guess.

U.S. trade deficit hits $29.4 🅱️illion, lowest since 2009

Trump tariffs now reshaping global trade flows as imports drop 3.2%

Exports rose while imports fell, exactly what the administration wanted

Economists warn stockpile drawdowns may be distorting the data pic.twitter.com/lJ9zrHb1fy

— Boi Agent One (@boiagentone) January 8, 2026

posted by Ace at 03:33 PM

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