Trade gap widens to record in US as import sales surge

Exports fell 1.3 percent to US$81.9 billion, led by a drop in shipments of capital goods. That underscores how global economies, such as those in Japan and Italy, are struggling to grow, depriving the US economy of one lever for expansion. Civilian aircraft shipments plunged 28.4 percent as global sales stay sluggish amid a slump in business travel.

The dollar is up 20 percent over the past five years when measured against the currencies of the biggest US trading partners, making American goods more expensive.