US trade deficit fell to $616.8 billion last year, first fall since 2013

The US trade deficit fell last year to $616.8 billion, the first time the gap has narrowed since 2013 as imports declined more than exports, according to government data released Wednesday.

As President Donald Trump's trade confrontations escalated in 2019, the total trade gap shrunk by nearly $10 billion as exports fell by 0.1 per cent and imports dropped 0.4 per cent, the Commerce Department reported.